Adult blood lead epidemiology and surveillance--United States, 2003-2004

Since 1994, CDC's state-based Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) program has been tracking laboratory-reported blood lead levels (BLLs) in U.S. adults. A national public health objective for 2010 (objective 20-7) is to reduce the prevalence of BLLs > or =25 microg/dL among employed adults to zero. A second key ABLES measurement level is a BLL > or =40 microg/dL, the level at which the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires workers to have an annual medical evaluation of health effects related to lead exposure. A previously published ABLES report provided data collected from 35 states during 2002. This report summarizes ABLES data collected from 37 states during 2003-2004 and compares them with annual data collected since 1994. The findings indicated that the national rate of adults with elevated BLLs (i.e., > or =25 microg/dL) declined from 2002 to 2003 and declined further in 2004. Projections using 1994-2004 ABLES data trends indicate that the national prevalence rate of adults with BLLs > or =25 microg/dL will be approximately 5.7 per 100,000 employed adults in 2010. Increased prevention measures, particularly in work environments, will be necessary to achieve the 2010 objective of reducing this rate to zero.