Lead exposure continues as hazard for workers
May 1, 1999 less than 1 minute read
Lead exposure continues as hazard for workers
Occupational lead exposure is a continuing hazard for many U.S. workers, even though workplace exposure appears to be decreasing, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
CDC researchers report a 14% decline in the number of adults with reported blood lead levels of at least 25 mcg/dL, compared with the same quarter in 1997 (See MMWR 1999; 48:213-223). The data come from the CDC’s Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance Study, an ongoing study of exposure to lead. The data also show a 12% decline for the first quarter of 1998, and an 11% decline for the second quarter.
The researchers note that "the testing level has remained relatively constant, indicating that the decrease probably is not caused by the performance of fewer tests." About 4,000 adults with elevated blood levels were reported to the CDC each quarter in 1997 and 1998, prompting the researchers to warn about the "continuing hazard of lead exposure as an occupational health problem in the United States."
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