There is a potential risk of lead exposure in dental offices, according to the Oct. 12 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which is published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In December 2000, the Washington State Health Department discovered a white powder in boxes used to store radiograph film. This powder was found to be lead oxide. The health department alerted state health departments throughout the United States.
As a result of the warning, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health conducted an investigation of 9 percent of Wisconsin dental offices that had radiograph equipment. WDPH found that 18 percent of these offices stored radiograph film in tabletop, lead-lined boxes. All of the boxes contained a white powder residue, which contained 77 percent lead, identified as lead oxide.
Investigators also performed a mock radiograph procedure. They placed wipes on a dental hygienist’s fingertips whenever a patient’s mouth was touched during the procedure. An analysis of these wipes samples found 3,378 micrograms of lead that could have been transferred from the dental hygienist’s fingers to the patient’s mouth.
The article stated that lead exposure is dangerous for children and women who are or may soon be pregnant, as children and developing fetuses are particularly susceptible. It goes on to say that the approximate half-life of lead in blood is 25 days; thus, the window for identifying lead exposure after radiographs is a few months. Health care providers who discover high blood lead levels of unexplained origin should consider this as a possible route of exposure, concluded the authors.
Investigators also advised that film packets stored in lead-lined boxes and the boxes should be discarded.
