Lead Exposure and Poisoning in Adults

Details

• Personal Author:
  Goldman RH ; Hu H
• Description:
  The full extent of adult lead poisoning and toxicity is difficult to ascertain because of limited data; Existing data and research findings suggest that it remains an important environmental and public health problem even if population levels are decreasing. In 2016, the estimated prevalence of BLL>10mcg/dl was 16 per 100,000 employed adults according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) program, which monitors laboratory-reported elevated BLL among employed adults in 26 states. The prevalence of elevated lead levels is decreasing in the United States. The prevalence of BLL >25 mcg/dl decreased from 14 to 2.8 per 100,000 employed adults from 1994 to 2016. There were also decreases in the percentage of adults with BLL>10 mcg/dl, from 3.1 to 0.7 percent for ages 20 to 59 years and from 6.5 to 0.7 percent for ages>60 years between 1991 and 1994 and between 1999 and 2002. The background mean BLL in the adult population is now <2 mcg/dl. Available data from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NANES) showed that, from 2015 to 2016, average adult BLL was 0.92 mcg/dl and the 95th percentile BLL was 2.89 mcg/dl, with higher levels among adult males than females. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Alcoholic Beverages Cosmetics Environmental Exposure Epidemiology Hazardous Substances Lead Men Occupational Health Paint Poisoning Public Health Safety Women Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Age Groups Alcohol Blood Lead Levels Environmental Exposure Exhaust Gases Humans Paints Poisons Public Health Surveillance Programs Toxins Work Environment Workers

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• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-42
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061369
• Citation:
  UpToDate in Medicine 2020 Sep; :1-42
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  UpToDate in Medicine
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:25ca8ca63045625e443b6618d1e78c16004023de8ce7901bb63d4f17a2eef40498cfe1cb1070f73f21cf8b55041b5fe6241808ff9633171b1c177347da3681e7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/224911/cdc_224911_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.12 MB ]