Trends in blood lead, cadmium, and mercury : United States, 1999–2000 through 2017–2018 and Canada, 2007–2009 through 2016–2017
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Trends in blood lead, cadmium, and mercury : United States, 1999–2000 through 2017–2018 and Canada, 2007–2009 through 2016–2017

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  • English
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      National Center for Health Statistics (U.S.)
    • Description:
      Objectives: Exposures to toxic metals have been monitored by measuring blood concentrations in national surveys. This report presents time trends in blood concentrations of three metals (lead, cadmium, and mercury) for the United States and Canada.

      Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (1999–2018; n = 69,458) and the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) (2007–2017; n = 26,944) were used for time trend analyses of geometric mean whole blood and red blood cell (RBC) concentrations of lead, cadmium, and mercury. Censored regression (overall and stratified by sex and age) was used to account for detection limits. Quadratic time trends were tested, and annual percent change (APC) was estimated for the entire survey period or two periods separated by a detected joinpoint, as appropriate.

      Results: For blood and RBC levels of lead and cadmium in both the United States and Canada and for blood and RBC mercury in the United States, statistically significant declining trends were noted in the total population aged 3–79 years as well as in most sex-age subgroups. For blood and RBC mercury in Canada, declining trends were limited to some adult sex-age subgroups, with no statistically significant trends in the total population aged 3–79. APCs in the total population aged 3–79 based largely on available data through 2017 were -5.20% and -5.09% for RBC lead, -2.02% and -2.69% (unreliable) for RBC cadmium, respectively, for the United States and Canada, and -2.70% for RBC mercury in the United States. No blood or RBC metals showed significant differences between the two countries in APCs for the total population aged 3–79.

      Conclusions: Decreasing trends over time were observed for lead and cadmium in the United States and Canada and for mercury in the United States. Continued survey-based biomonitoring is needed to track trends in population exposures.

      Suggested citation: Aoki Y, Earl S, Clarke J, Servais J, Karthikeyan S. Trends in blood lead, cadmium, and mercury: United States, 1999–2000 through 2017–2018 and Canada, 2007–2009 through 2016–2017. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 3(49). 2023.

      DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:123891.

    • Content Notes:
      National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (U.S.)

      Canadian Health Measures Survey.

    • Subjects:
    • Series:
      Vital and health statistics. Series 3, Analytical and epidemiological studies ; no. 49
    • Document Type:
      Report
    • Genre:
      Statistics
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