Lead poisoning among bricklayers--Washington State.

In May 1989, four members of an 11-man crew of bricklayers in western Washington state developed symptomatic lead poisoning while replacing the brick lining of an acid-accumulation tank at a paper mill. Peak blood lead levels (BLLs) for the four workers ranged from 88 to 123 micrograms/dL. An investigation indicated the source of the lead exposure was a special brick mortar that contained 71% lead oxide and was formulated to resist the normally acidic environment of the tank.