ABSTRACT
Lead is one of the oldest, most ubiquitous, most toxic, and most thoroughly studied substances used by man. Lead can damage the nervous system, the kidneys, and the reproductive organs. Kathy Kriedeman's children, now aged 9 and 13, both had lead levels higher than 70 micrograms when tested during the Center for Disease Control (CDC) survey. Ten months after beginning her job, she discovered she was pregnant and asked for a transfer. She says her doctor, since deceased, told her that the miscarriage had probably occurred because she had been working in the smelter. She worked until April 1975, when Bunker Hill announced that women capable of bearing children would no longer be employed in the smelter because of "medical information which indicated lead might cause fetal complications". This meant that a woman of child-bearing capability would have to undergo sterilization in order to be eligible to work in the smelter.
