MMWR: Elevated Lead Levels in Employed Adults, 1994-2012, and an update about the CalOSHA Lead in Construction standard changes

Elevated blood lead levels are reported for employed adults, by state, by those with blood lead levels over 10mcg/dl and those with blood lead levels over 25 mcg/dl in the below link to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.  We are lucky to live in California! Look at the rates for employed adults (men have higher rates) in Pennsylvania, Iowa, Missouri, Alabama, Kansas, Ohio, etc.  They are trending down at the higher levels, but still climbing at the lower levels in certain states. Not all states are reporting however.  http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6254a4.htm?s_cid=mm6254a4_e

This is important data, because CalOSHA is currently revising our lead standard in construction. The next CalOSHA Advisory meeting is in Oakland on Tuesday, November 10, 2015, from 10AM-3PM. If you can attend this meeting on behalf of CECRAOHN, please be in contact with Denise Souza, our Government Affairs Board Director. You can email Denise at cecraohn@gmail.com

There are alot of fabulous resources on exposures related to lead at the California Department of Public Health, Occupational Lead Poisoning Prevention Program site: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/olppp/Pages/leadStdRecs.aspx

An important exposure that can 100% be prevented by aggressive engineering controls.

Barbara Burgel

President, CECRAOHN