Implications of the new centers for disease control and prevention blood lead reference value

M.S. Burns and S.L. Gerstenberger

American Journal of Public Health, 2014, vol. 104, issue 6, e27-e33

Abstract: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently established a new reference value (≥ 5 lg/dL) as the standard for identifying children with elevated blood lead levels (EBLs). At present, 535 000 US children aged 1 to 5 years (2.6%) are estimated to have EBLs according to the new standard, versus 0.8% according to the previous standard (≥ 10 lg/dL). Because EBLs signify the threshold for public health intervention, this new definition increases demands on lead poisoning prevention efforts. Primary prevention has been proven to reduce lead poisoning cases and is also cost effective; however, federal budget cuts threaten the existence of such programs. Protection for the highest-risk children necessitates a reinstatement of federal funding to previous levels.

Keywords: article; blood; child; cost benefit analysis; economics; financial management; health survey; housing; human; infant; lead poisoning; nutrition; preschool child; primary prevention; public health service; reference value; standard; United States, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); Child; Child, Preschool; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Financing, Government; Housing; Humans; Infant; Lead Poisoning; Nutrition Surveys; Population Surveillance; Primary Prevention; Reference Values; United States (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301771

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301771_0

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301771

Access Statistics for this article

American Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Alfredo Morabia

More articles in American Journal of Public Health from American Public Health Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Christopher F Baum ().