Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Employed Adults — United States, 1994–2013 (original) (raw)

Very High Blood Lead Levels Among Adults - United States, 2002–2011

MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report

Over the past several decades there has been a remarkable reduction in environmental sources of lead, improved protection from occupational lead exposure, and an overall decreasing trend in the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) in U.S. adults. As a result, the U.S. national BLL geometric mean among adults was 1.2 µg/dL during 2009–2010 (1). Nonetheless, lead exposures continue to occur at unacceptable levels (2). Current research continues to find that BLLs previously considered harmless can have harmful effects in adults, such as decreased renal function and increased risk for hypertension and essential tremor at BLLs <10 µg/dL (3–5). CDC has designated 10 µg/dL as the reference BLL for adults; levels ≥10 µg/dL are considered elevated (2). CDC's Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) program tracks elevated BLLs among adults in the United States (2). In contrast to the CDC reference level, prevailing Occupational Safety and Health Administration...

Implications of the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention blood lead reference value

American journal of public health, 2014

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently established a new reference value (≥ 5 μg/dL) as the standard for identifying children with elevated blood lead levels (EBLs). At present, 535,000 US children aged 1 to 5 years (2.6%) are estimated to have EBLs according to the new standard, versus 0.8% according to the previous standard (≥ 10 μg/dL). Because EBLs signify the threshold for public health intervention, this new definition increases demands on lead poisoning prevention efforts. Primary prevention has been proven to reduce lead poisoning cases and is also cost effective; however, federal budget cuts threaten the existence of such programs. Protection for the highest-risk children necessitates a reinstatement of federal funding to previous levels.

Elevated blood lead levels in adults-Missouri, 2013

American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2019

Funding information No funding Background: Over 90% of adults with elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) in the United States are exposed occupationally. Missouri historically has been among the states with the highest prevalence rates of elevated BLLs. We characterized cases of elevated BLLs among Missouri adults to target preventive interventions. Methods: We reviewed 2013 data on Missouri residents ≥16 years from the Missouri Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance system and analyzed characteristics of those with elevated BLLs. We used the contemporaneous CDC definition of elevated BLL as ≥10 μg/dL. Results: Of the 15 123 residents with a BLL in 2013 (median: 1.5 μg/dL, range: 0-151 μg/dL), 3145 (21%) had BLLs ≥10 μg/dL. Occupational exposures accounted for the majority of residents (n = 3099, 98%) with elevated BLLs, mostly in battery manufacturing (n = 1373, 44%) and lead mining (n = 821, 26%) industries. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the need for focused interventions targeting battery manufacturing and lead mining, the high-risk industries, to further reduce overexposures to lead.

Adult blood lead reporting in New York State, 1994-2006

Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)

Laboratories that test New York State (NYS) employees and adult residents for lead exposure are required to report blood lead test results to the NYS Department of Health's Heavy Metals Registry. This registry is used to monitor exposures and to identify new high-risk occupational and nonoccupational activities. We used interviews conducted with people having blood lead levels of > or = 25 micrograms/deciliter (microg/dL) reported to the Heavy Metals Registry to determine the primary source of lead exposure. We reviewed this information, together with demographic information, for the years 1994 through 2006. While overall there has been an increase in the number of tests being conducted on NYS residents since 1994, the vast majority of the increase is among those with the lowest blood lead levels (<10 microg/dL). Conversely, there has been a decline in the number of adults tested with blood lead levels of > or = 25 microg/dL in NYS due primarily to occupational exposure...

Declines in adult blood lead levels in New York City compared with the United States, 2004-2014

Environmental research, 2018

To assess changes in lead exposure in the New York City (NYC) adult population over a 10-year period and to contrast changes with national estimates, overall, and by socio-demographics and smoking status. We used measurements of blood lead levels (BLLs) from NYC resident adults who participated in the NYC Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (HANES) in 2004 and 2013-2014. We compared estimates of geometric means (GM), 95th percentiles, and prevalence of BLL ≥ 5 µg/dL overall and by subgroups over time, with adults who participated in the National HANES (NHANES) 2001-2004 and 2011-2014. The GM BLLs among NYC adults declined from 1.79 µg/dL in 2004 to 1.13 µg/dL in 2013-2014 (P < .0001). The declines over this period ranged from 30.1% to 43.2% across socio-demographic groups and smoking status (P < .0001 for all comparisons), and were slightly greater than declines observed nationally. The drop in prevalence of elevated BLLs (≥ 5 µg/dL) was also greater in NYC (4.8-0.5%), co...

Surveillance for elevated blood lead levels among children--United States, 1997-2001

Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries (Washington, D.C. : 2002), 2003

Lead is neurotoxic and particularly harmful to the developing nervous systems of fetuses and young children. Extremely high blood lead levels (BLLs) (i.e.,> or =70 microg/dL) can cause severe neurologic problems (e.g., seizure, coma, and death). However, no threshold has been determined regarding lead's harmful effects on children's learning and behavior. In 1990, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services established a national goal to eliminate BLLs >25 microg/dL by 2000; a new goal targets elimination of BLLs > or =10 microg/dL in children aged <6 years by 2010. Information regarding children's BLLs comes from 1) National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) conducted during 1976-1980, 1988-1991, 1991-1994, and 1999-2000; and 2) state child blood lead surveillance data for test results collected during 1997-2001. CDC tracks children's BLLs in the United States by using both NHANES and state and local surveillance data. NHANES reports...