CDC began collecting childhood blood lead surveillance data in April 1995. The national surveillance system is composed of data from state and local health departments. Because CDC does not obtain any identifying information about the child, the identification of duplicate test results and sequential tests on a single child, blood lead test results are maintained by the state in a child-specific database. In addition to blood lead test results, state child-specific databases contain follow-up data on children with elevated blood lead levels including data on medical treatment, environmental investigations, and potential sources of lead exposure. Surveillance fields for the national database are extracted from the state child-specific database and transferred to CDC.
State surveillance systems are based on reports of blood lead tests from laboratories. Ideally, laboratories report results of all blood lead tests, not just elevated values, to the state health department. States, however, determine the reporting level for blood lead tests and decide which data elements should accompany the blood lead test result. Because data collection methods vary among states, CDC does not provide data for analysis from the national database. Anyone interested in analyzing blood lead surveillance data should contact the Childhood Lead Poisoning Surveillance Program in the state of interest.
Protocol for submission of data quarterly to CDC
Information for submission of quarterly surveillance data:
ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/environmental_surveillance/Lead/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333, U.S.A
Tel: (404) 639-3311 • CDC Contact Center: 800-CDC-INFO • 888-232-6348 (TTY)
