Workshop organised on ‘Prevention of Occupational Exposure to Lead Poisoning’

Muscat: The Public Establishment for Industrial Estates – Madayn, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, organised a workshop titled ‘Prevention of Occupational Exposure to Lead Poisoning’ in line with the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.

The workshop, which targeted employees specialised in health, safety and environmental fields in the industrial units, was moderated by Dr Fatma Al Hakmani, Occupational Health Specialist at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the Ministry of Health.

During the workshop, Al Hakmani explained that the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is an initiative of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint, co-led by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme. She added that the manufacture and sale of lead paint are still allowed in more than 60 per cent of countries, which represents a source of lead exposure for children and workers. Therefore, there is a priority to minimise and prevent exposure to lead paint through regulatory and legal measures, Al Hakamni emphasised.

She elaborated that lead is a well-known toxic substance that has wide-ranging effects on health, especially on the nervous system, heart, blood vessels, and digestive system. Besides, Al Hakmani noted that young children are more vulnerable to lead poisoning compared to adults, which is why children’s exposure to lead remains a major subject for healthcare providers and public health officials even though the unsafe effects of lead are widely recognised and key measures are being adopted by many countries.