Occupational Lead Exposure: Assessing Blood Lead Levels, Health Impacts and Risk Practices among Automobile Technicians in Quetta, Pakistan

Abstract

Lead contamination in automotive garages poses a severe and overlooked occupational health risk in Quetta. Pakistan. The study applies mixed-methods to investigate blood lead levels (BLLs) and associated risk factors among technicians in Quetta City by using biological sampling and survey questionnaires (covering socioeconomics, demographics, and health risks). Biological sampling (n=100) revealed alarmingly high BLLs, ranging from 6.7 to 24.9 µg/dL. Questionnaire data identified prevalent health symptoms, such as anima, musculoskeletal pain, hypertension, fatigue, lack of appetite, constipation, and headache. Risk assessment identified key exposure routes: inhalation of lead particulates, direct handling of battery waste, and crucially, poor hygiene leading to ingestion via hand-to-mouth activities (e.g., sucking petrol, placing tools in the mouth). Poor personal hygiene and unsafe workplace practices exist in the garages. Major reasons that were identified as primary exposure pathways were breathing in lead-contaminated air, working with acid-leaded batteries and their waste, use of leaded petrol for cleaning and washing the mechanical parts, etc., and major inhalation occurs in technicians by using frequent hand-to-mouth activity i.e. sucking of leaded petrol and putting the lead contaminated tools into mouth, etc. At the end of the study, a policy brief outlining was drawn to combat the health deterioration in the technicians.