Welcome Conrad,
I have heard some time ago of references to telephone linesmen being
lead poisoned. I asssumed this was due to the lead joints and cable
splicing. So the situation that you suspect is not unheard of.
Unfortunately I am unable to throw any more light on the issue.

I looked at your website and found your "Full Story" .pdf link worth a
look.
The Annoted Biliography from page 14 onwards contains a wealth of
relevant references for anyone interested in lead poisoning.