Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Adults

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  New York State Department of Health
• Description:
  Exposure to lead adversely affects multiple organ systems and can cause permanent damage even at lower levels. In adults, exposure to lead can cause anemia, nervous system disruption, kidney damage, hypertension, decreased fertility and miscarriage. Although the adverse health effects from exposure to lead have been recognized for centuries, exposure to lead through occupational, environmental and recreational sources still occurs in New York State (NYS). The blood lead level (BLL) is the best biological indicator of recent lead exposure. Regular surveillance of BLLs allows for early identification of individuals at risk for poisoning. The principle source of lead in adults is primarily occupational exposures, although NYS data indicate that more than 20% of exposures in NYS adult residents are due to non-occupational sources, especially among those individuals with severely elevated BLLs (60+ micrograms per deciliter [mcg/dL]). It is important to note that the average BLL for the general population is less than 1.5 mcg/dL. Data on adults age 16 years old or older comes from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) program. The ABLES program is a state-based surveillance program of laboratory-reported adult blood lead levels. In NYS, the laboratory data are reported through the Heavy Metals Registry (HMR) which reports the data to NIOSH via ABLES. Funding for ABLES was discontinued in 2013, at which time, 41 states reported their data to NIOSH; however, NYS has continued with the collection of this important information. There were 25 states participating in the ABLES program in 2000 while 40 states participated in 2010. Over 4,100 adults reported to the HMR in 2000 had BLLs 10 mcg/dL or higher. As demonstrated in Figure 2.1, the number of reports has steadily decreased with the low occurring in 2009 with only slightly more than 1,900 people reported. Even with a slight rise in testing numbers and elevated BLLs during 2010, which was most likely due to the increase in transportation and infrastructure jobs funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, this decrease in reports of elevated BLLs over time is statistically significant (p value <.0001). Likewise, the number of adults reported with BLLs 25 mcg/dL or higher (p-value <.0001) and 40 mcg/dL (p-value <.0001) or higher has decreased over time. Other chapters are available at this link: https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/workplace/occupational_health_surveillance/indicators_report.htm. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Exposure Lead Lead Poisoning Occupational Health Poisoning Public Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Blood Lead Levels Community Based Disease Prevention Exposure Levels Lead Poisoning Occupational Health Public Health Surveillance Programs
• Publisher:
  New York State Department of Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058748
• Citation:
  Occupational health indicators in New York state: 2000-2010. Albany, NY: New York State Department of Health, 2014 Oct; :1-9
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  New York State Department of Health/Health Research Incorporated
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational health indicators in New York state: 2000-2010
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a8ef87520a9a0f69875ffdde38d5c9789a92e0880efaff1ed6f8157623ec939dcc27e9ab920dafc2b74b17d60ab090b1ccb84c57ef48e5515edb17e60b19b3f4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223148/cdc_223148_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 221.37 KB ]