ArticleAnnals of occupational and environmental medicine2026
Acute health effects of accidental exposure to lithium hydroxide at a battery material production plant.
Article in Annals of occupational and environmental medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Reactive airways dysfunction syndrome following acute lithium hydroxide dust exposure at a battery material production plant: a case series of 16 workers.Annals of occupational and environmental medicine · 2026Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundLithium hydroxide (LiOH) is increasingly used in electric vehicle battery production; however, its health effects in the work environment remain underreported. This study characterizes the acute health effects on workers following accidental occupational exposure to LiOH at a Korean lithium plant in March 2024.
methodsWe analyzed health effects from two LiOH exposure accidents on March 6 and 9, 2024, involving 50-100 kg powder spills. Two datasets were examined: acute symptoms from 115 workers who visited hospitals immediately after exposure, and a symptom severity survey from 474 workers conducted 2 weeks post-exposure. Workers were stratified by distance from the leak source (<10 m, 10-20 m, >20 m) and respirator use. Univariate general linear modeling was applied to analyze the relationship between symptom occurrence and both the distance from the exposure source and respirator use.
resultsAmong workers visiting hospitals immediately, local irritation symptoms predominated: sore throat (58.3%), cough (28.7%), and skin dermatoses (17.4%). Systemic symptoms included headache (45.2%), nausea (18.3%), chest tightness (12.2%), and dizziness (9.6%). Two-week follow-up revealed overall symptom improvement; severe cough decreased from 22.2% to 10.1%. However, despite general improvement, a significant portion of workers reported persistent respiratory issues, including cough (28.7%) and sputum production (31.0%). Symptom severity showed a significant dose-response relationship with proximity to the source (p < 0.001). While respirator use offered initial protection (p = 0.021), this effect was not statistically significant after 2 weeks.
conclusionsOccupational LiOH exposure caused acute irritation and systemic symptoms, demonstrating immediate tissue damage consistent with its alkalinity and systemic toxicity upon absorption. As lithium battery production expands globally, these results emphasize the necessity for developing specific occupational exposure limits and medical surveillance guidelines for lithium compounds.
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