Solid lead is safe to hold — the danger is in the dust and fume
Lead is a hazardous substance, but solid lead presents little risk. The danger comes when lead is processed into dust, fume or mist — sanding or stripping old lead-based paint, welding, soldering, abrasive blasting or melting lead. Many older New Zealand buildings carry lead paint. Lead is absorbed by breathing or swallowing, stored in bone for years, and can damage the nervous system, kidneys and blood. The controls are to stop the dust and fume, keep strict hygiene, and use blood lead monitoring — never as a substitute for the controls.
Solid lead is low-risk to handle. The hazard appears when work turns it into airborne dust, fume or mist — grinding, sanding or stripping lead-based paint, welding or cutting lead-coated steel, soldering, lead-light work, abrasive blasting old coatings, or melting lead. Lead enters the body by inhalation, where most is absorbed, and by ingestion from contaminated hands, food or cigarettes. Once in the body it is stored in the bones for years as a “body burden”, released later in pregnancy, with osteoporosis or after fractures. A developing unborn child is especially at risk.
Lead poisoning can cause anaemia, kidney damage, effects on the nervous system, and reduced fertility, with both immediate and long-term harm depending on how much is absorbed. Because the harm is cumulative and often silent, the aim is to keep exposure — and workers' blood lead levels — as low as possible.
| Level | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Eliminate / minimise | Avoid creating dust and fume — use wet methods, low-dust techniques and the least disruptive removal method. Keep others out of the area. |
| Capture & enclose | Local exhaust ventilation and enclosure to capture dust and fume at the source. |
| RPE | Suitable, fit-tested respiratory protection where airborne lead remains. |
| Hygiene | No eating, drinking or smoking in the work area; wash hands and face before eating; separate work clothing; don't carry lead dust home to family. |
Removing lead-based paint by abrasive blasting can need resource consent because of the dust released to the environment.
Workers exposed to lead should have health monitoring, including blood lead testing, arranged by a medical practitioner. In New Zealand the blood lead notification level was lowered in 2021 to 0.24 micromoles per litre — the level at which health practitioners and laboratories must notify the medical officer of health, who refers suspected workplace exposures to WorkSafe. Monitoring detects exposure early, but it is not a control — never use it as a substitute for stopping the dust and fume. Treat lead as part of your wider hazardous substances management, and read alongside abrasive blasting.
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When it is processed into airborne dust, fume or mist — sanding or stripping lead-based paint, welding, soldering, abrasive blasting or melting lead. Solid lead handled without creating dust or fume is low-risk.
Lead is absorbed by breathing or swallowing and stored in the bones for years as a body burden. It can cause anaemia, kidney damage, nervous-system effects and reduced fertility, and a developing unborn child is especially at risk.
Stop the dust and fume first — wet methods, low-dust techniques, local exhaust ventilation and enclosure — then use fit-tested respiratory protection, and keep strict hygiene so lead is not swallowed or carried home.
It was lowered in 2021 to 0.24 micromoles per litre. At or above that level, health practitioners and laboratories must notify the medical officer of health, who refers suspected workplace exposures to WorkSafe.
No. Monitoring detects exposure early but does not reduce it. It must never be used as a substitute for the controls that stop lead dust and fume at the source.
