Construction workers can be at risk of inadvertently exposing family members to toxic metals brought home from worksites, a newly published pilot study from Boston University and Harvard public health researchers indicates. But there are ways to minimize the risk.
The study, which is being published in the June 2022 volume of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Research, analyzes dust samples from the homes of 27 Boston area workers, including 21 construction and a handful of janitorial and auto repair workers, for a variety of toxic metals sometimes found in construction materials. The study doesn’t specify which construction trades the study participants work in, but states that the workers were recruited through community organizations and unions, with a focus on low-income and immigrant workers.