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NIOSH Safety and Health Topic:

Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES)

The ABLES program is a state-based surveillance program of laboratory-reported adult blood lead levels. The program objective is to build state capacity to initiate, expand, or improve adult blood lead surveillance programs which can accurately measure trends in adult blood lead levels and which can effectively intervene to prevent lead over-exposures.

Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology Surveillance Program Description

NIOSHTIC-2 Search

NIOSHTIC-2 search results on ABLES
is a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported in whole or in part by NIOSH.

ABLES Program Staff

Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology Surveillance Program Staff

The Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) Program is operated out of the Surveillance Branch, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies (DSHEFS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

ABLES State-Based Programs

ABLES State-Based Programs

At the state level, numerous innovative projects to help understand and prevent adult lead poisoning have been undertaken and reported. Participating states, contact persons within those states, and available publications are included.

An example of the ABLES purchase order for FY 07
this document in PDF PDF 26 KB (4 pages)

CSTE Conference/ABLES

CSTE 2007 ABLES Agenda

this document in PDF PDF 18 KB (1 page)

ABLES SESSIONS:

2007 - Session One: Lead-Special Populations and Evaluation (ABLES)

2007 - Session Two: Management of Lead-exposed Adults (ABLES)

2007 - Session Three: Lead Surveillance Workshop (ABLES)


Data

Blood Lead Level Data - Reported from 2002 through 2005
CDC/NIOSH Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance Program
this document in PDF  PDF 78 KB (11 pages)
Available in Excel

Blood Lead Level Data - Reported from 1994 through 2001
CDC/NIOSH Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance Program
this document in PDF  PDF 55 KB (11 pages)
Available in Excel

Publications

Lead Exposure Among Females of Childbearing Age - United States, 2004
External Link: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5616a4.htm
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: April 27, 2007 / 56(16);397-400

Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance - United States, 2003 - 2004
External Link: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5532a2.htm
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: August 18, 2006 / 55(32);876-879

Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance - United States, 2002
External Link: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5326a2.htm
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: July 9, 2004 / 53(26);578-582

Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance - United States, 1998--2001
External Link: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5111a1.htm
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: December 13, 2002 / 51(SS-11); 1-10

Health Hazard Evaluations: Occupational Exposure to Lead 1994 to 1999
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2001-113 (2001)
Contains abstracts of and links to the full text of the related reports.

Keeping Lead at Work
(abstract--bibliographic information only)
'Takehome' exposures among workers’ families may cause lead poisoning in family members.

Preventing Lead Poisoning in Construction Workers NIOSH Alert
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 91-116a (rev. 1997)
Operations such as abrasive blasting, sanding, burning, cutting, or welding on steel structures coated with lead-containing paints may produce very high concentrations of lead dust and fumes. NIOSH and OSHA have recently recommended that exposure to lead dust and fumes be minimized by the use of engineering controls and work practices, and by the use of personal protective equipment.

Report to Congress on Protecting Workers Exposed to Lead-based Paint Hazards
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 98-112 (1997)
This document contains results from a comprehensive study of means to reduce hazardous occupational lead abatement exposures, directed by the Housing and Community Development Act (Public Law 102–550), which included as Title X the "Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992.

Report to Congress on Workers' Home Contamination Study Conducted Under The Workers' Family Protection Act (29 U.S.C. 671a)
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 95-123 (1995)
this document in PDF PDF 10.2 MB (308 pages)
This Document is a Summary of Report To Congress On Workers' Home Contamination Study Conducted Under The Workers' Family Protection Act (29 U.S.C. 671A).

Worker Health Chartbook, 2004
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-146 (2004)
This document is a descriptive epidemiologic reference on occupational morbidity and mortality in the United States. It is a resource for agencies, organizations, employers, researchers, workers, and others who need to know about occupational injuries and illnesses

Recent Related Reports

Araujo J, Beelen AP, Lewis LD, Robinson GG, DeLaurier C, Carbajal M, Ericsson B, Chin Y, Hipkins K, Kales SN, Saper RB, Nordness R, Rabin R, Jeffery N, Cone J, Ramaswamy C, Curry-Johnson, P, Gelberg KH, Salzman D, Paquin J, Homa DM, Roscoe RJ,   Lead Poisoning Associated With Ayurvedic Medications—Five States, 2000-2003. MMWR, 2004 Jul, 53(26):582-584
External Link: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5326a3.htm

Ottlinger M, Zumwalde R, Roscoe R, Kosnett M, Hipkins K, Meister R, Materna B.   Adult Blood Lead Testing: A Pivotal Role for Labs in Interpretaion and Surveillance. Clinical Laboratory News: 12-14, June 2002 Adobe acrobat icon PDF
External Link: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5326a3.htm

Materna B.     Occupational and take-home lead poisoning associated with restoring chemically stripped furniture---California, 1998. MMWR, 2001 APR, 50(13):246-248
External Link: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5013a2.htm

Ball W, Bekle T, Bonauto D, Calvert G, Castellan R, Curwick C, Davis L, Gelberg K, Harrison R, Heumann M, Kim R, Largo T, Lim K, Materna B, Myers J, London M, Osmani L, Parker D, Reinisch F, Rosenman K, Roscoe R, Salzman D, Sestito J, Stanbury M, Thomsen C, Valiante D;  Occupational Health Effect and Biologic Exposure Indicators. Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, 91 pages, June, 2004Adobe acrobat icon PDF
External Link: http://www.cste.org/pdffiles/RevisedIndicators10404.pdf

California Department of Health; Occupational Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (OLPPP);
Lead in the Workplace: Construction Industries publications
:
External Link: http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ohb/OLPPP/pubsconstruction.htm
  • "Lead Exposure During Hot Cutting of Stripped Steel"; Journal article, Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 16(5): 502-505, 2001

  • "Residential and Commercial Painters' Exposure to Lead during Surface Preparation"; Journal article, AIHA Journal 63:22-28, 2002

  • "Results of an Intervention to Improve Lead Safety Among Painting Contractors and Their Employees"; Journal article, American Journal of Industrial Medicine 41:119-130, 2002

  • "Can Half-Day Trainings Motivate Small Contractors to Address Lead Safety?"; Journal article, Health Promotion Practice July 2004 Vol. 5, No. 3, 297-305

California Department of Health; Occupational Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (OLPPP);
 Lead in the Workplace: Resources for Health Professionals publications
:
External Link: http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ohb/OLPPP/pubshealthpro.htm
  • "Family Lead Poisoning Associated with Occupational Exposure"; 5 page article, Clinical Pediatrics, November/December 2004

  • "Severe Lead Poisoning in the Plastics Industry: A Report of Three Cases"; 4 page article, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 47:172-175 (2005)

Related NIOSH Pages

Construction

Lead

State Actvities: Occupational Safety and Health Contacts at State and Territorial Health Departments

Surveillance

NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (NPG)
The NPG is intended as a source of general industrial hygiene information on several hundred chemicals/classes for workers, employers, and occupational health professionals.

Occupational Health Guidelines for Chemical Hazards
These guidelines summarize information on permissable exposure limits, chemical and physical properties, and health hazards.

Other Related Resources

Center to Protect Workers’ Rights (CPWR) Web site
External Link: http://www.cpwr.com/indexstart.html
Lead research and training programs.

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)
External Link: http://www.cste.org/occupationalhealth.htm
For more than five decades, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have worked together in partnership to improve the public’s health by supporting the efforts of epidemiologists working at the state and local level by promoting the effective use of epidemiologic data to guide public health practice and improve health. CSTE and its members represent two of the four basic components of public health – epidemiology and surveillance.

International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSC)
An ICSC summarizes essential health and safety information on chemicals for their use at the "shop floor" level by workers and employers in factories, agriculture, construction and other work places. They are not legally binding documents, but consist of a series of standard phrases, mainly summarizing health and safety information collected, verified and peer reviewed by internationally recognized experts, taking into account advice from manufacturers and Poison Control Centres.

National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH)
CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program is committed to the Healthy People goal of eliminating elevated blood lead levels in children by 2010.

OSHA Safety and Health Topics: Lead
External Link: http://www.cpwr.com/indexstart.html
National Emphasis Program to reduce occupational lead exposures

Contact

To obtain additional information on NIOSH-supported adult blood lead epidemiology surveillance activities, please contact Walter Alarcon MD, MSc (wda7@cdc.gov).

 
ABLES Program Descriptionnext

ABLES

Periodic Table of the Elements image for lead - Pb

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ABLES Program Staff
 
ABLES State-Based Programs
 

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