Abstract
CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance program (ABLES) monitors elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) among adults in the United States. Twenty-three states currently report surveillance results to ABLES. Maine is the 23rd state, and its data (beginning in 1994) are included for the first time in this report. This report presents ABLES data for the first quarter of 1995 compared with the first quarter of 1994 and annual data for 1994 compared with 1993. First Quarter Reports 1995. During January-March 1995, the number of reports of elevated BLLs increased by 10% over those reported for the same period in 1994. The number of reports increased at the lowest reporting level (25-39 ug/dL), but decreased at all higher reporting levels (40-49 ug/dL, 50-59 ug/dL, and greater than or equal to 60 ug/dL). The trend of increasing reports at the lower levels and decreasing reports at the higher levels is consistent with the 1994 fourth quarter report. Annual Reports 1994. The reported number of adults with elevated BLLs increased from 11,240 in 1993 to 12,137 in 1994; this increase resulted, in part, from the addition of three reporting states in 1994. A total of 5619 new cases accounted for 46% of the cases reported in 1994, compared with 59% new cases in 1993. Compared with 1993, the proportion of new cases declined in the 25-39 ug/dL, 40-49 ug/dL, and 50-59 ug/dL categories and increased in the greater than or equal to 60 ug/dL category. Even with additional states reporting, the number of new cases decreased 15% from 1993 through 1994. This decrease may be explained in part by the definition of a new case, which is an elevated BLL ( greater than or equal to 25 ug/dL) in an adult reported in state surveillance data in the current year but which was not recorded in the immediately preceding year. By this definition, all persons reported represent new cases in the year a state begins surveillance.
Keywords
Lead-absorption; Lead-compounds; Lead-dust; Blood-analysis; Blood-sampling; Central-nervous-system-disorders; Blood-disorders; Reproductive-system-disorders; Cardiovascular-system-disorders; Kidney-disorders; Environmental-exposure; Exposure-levels; Exposure-limits; Neurotoxic-effects; Surveillance-programs; Region-1; Region-10; Region-2; Region-3; Region-4; Region-5; Region-6; Region-7; Region-8; Region-9
