Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance --
United States, Fourth Quarter, 1993
CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES)
program monitors elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) in adults. Blood
lead data from laboratory reports are transmitted to state-based
lead surveillance programs and are compiled by NIOSH for quarterly
reporting (1). Data for 1993 from the 20 states currently reporting
results to NIOSH are complete (Table_1). Efforts to expand the
number of states participating in the surveillance system continue
as states increase their capacity to monitor BLLs in both adults
and children.
Reported by: NH Chowdhury, MBBS, Alabama Dept of Public Health. C
Fowler, MS, Arizona Dept of Health Svcs. FJ Mycroft, PhD,
Occupational Health Br, California Dept of Health Svcs. BC Jung,
MPH, Connecticut Dept of Public Health and Addiction Svcs. M
Lehnherr, Occupational Disease Registry, Div of Epidemiologic
Studies, Illinois Dept of Public Health. R Gergely, Iowa Dept of
Public Health. E Keyvan-Larijani, MD, Lead Poisoning Prevention
Program, Maryland Dept of the Environment. R Rabin, MSPH, Div of
Occupational Hygiene, Massachusetts Dept of Labor and Industries.
A Carr, MBA, Bur of Child and Family Svcs, Michigan Dept of Public
Health. D Solet, PhD, Div of Public Health Svcs, New Hampshire
State Dept of Health and Human Svcs. B Gerwel, MD, Occupational
Disease Prevention Project, New Jersey State Dept of Health. R
Stone, PhD, New York State Dept of Health. M Barnett, MS, State
Health Div, Oregon Dept of Human Resources. J Gostin, MS,
Occupational Health Program, Div of Environmental Health,
Pennsylvania Dept of Health. R Marino, MD, Div of Health Hazard
Evaluations, South Carolina Dept of Health and Environmental
Control. DM Perrotta, PhD, Environmental Epidemiologist, Texas Dept
of Health. D Beaudoin, MD, Bur of Epidemiology, Utah Dept of
Health. L Toof, Div of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, Vermont
Dept of Health. J Kaufman, MD, Washington State Dept of Labor and
Industries. D Higgins, Wisconsin Dept of Health and Social Svcs.
Div of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies,
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC.
Reference
CDC. Surveillance of elevated blood lead levels among adults --
United States, 1992. MMWR 1992;41:285-8.
Table_1 Note:
To print large tables and graphs users may have to change their printer settings to landscape and use a small font size.
TABLE 1. Reports of elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) in adults -- 20 states, * fourth
quarter, 1993
====================================================================================================
Fourth quarter, 1993
Reported BLL -------------------------- Cumulative Cumulative
(ug/dL) No. reports No. persons + reports, 1993 & reports, 1992 @
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25-39 5,784 2,952 17,045 15,279
40-49 2,026 904 5,189 4,288
50-59 420 230 1,208 1,089
>=60 172 95 583 585
Total 8,402 4,181 24,025 21,241
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah,
Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
+ Individual reports are based on the highest reported BLL for the person during the given
quarter.
& Data for first quarter 1993 reported from 17 states (Alabama, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Mary-
land, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin).
@ Cumulative totals for 1992 reflect annual data from 18 states (Alabama, California, Colorado,
Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin).
====================================================================================================
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