CDC's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program: A Long-standing Responsibility and Commitment to Protect Children From Lead Exposure

Abstract

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) serves as the nation’s public health leader and resource on strategies, policies, and practices aimed at preventing lead exposure in young children. CDC supports and advises state and local public health agencies and works with other federal agencies and partners to achieve the Healthy People 2020 objective of eliminating childhood lead exposure as a public health concern. Primary prevention—the removal of lead hazards from the environment before a child is exposed—is the most effective way to ensure that children do not experience the harmful effects of lead exposure. Blood lead screening tests and secondary prevention remain an essential safety net for children who may be exposed to lead. CDC’s key programmatic strategy is to strengthen blood lead surveillance by supporting state and local programs to improve blood lead screening test rates, identify high-risk populations, and ensure effective follow-up for children with elevated blood lead levels. Surveillance plays a central role in helping measure the collective progress of federal, state, and local public health agencies in protecting children from lead, as well as enhancing our ability to target population-based interventions for primary prevention to those areas at highest risk. The CDC CLPPP has been at the front line of efforts to protect children from lead exposure and the resulting adverse health effects over the last 3 decades. As we chart our path for the future, we will continue to learn from past successes and challenges, incorporate new evidence and lessons learned, and work closely with federal, state, local, and nonprofit partners, experts in academia, and the community to advance the overarching goal of eliminating lead exposure in children.

Chronic Exposure to Lead and Cadmium in Residents Living near a Zinc Smelter

“…Even those with blood Pb levels below the previous US CDC reference value of 10 µg/dL have been shown to develop neurodevelopmental, cardiovascular, and immunological health effects. Accordingly, the recommendations were adjusted down to <5 µg/dL [22][23][24], while Germany rescinded the recommended value altogether [25]. In one Korean study of residents near a closed Cu smelter, the mean blood Pb level was 4.27 µg/dL, which was similar to that reported in the present study [26].…”

Study protocol to examine the relationship between environmental exposure to lead and blood lead levels among children from day-care centres in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality

“…This study highlights the importance of implementing a health screening programme for lead, as well as the importance of creating and maintaining a lead-free zone for children, as recommended by WHO. 41 A possible limitation of the study is that it focuses on lead exposure at the day-care centres, and it relies on the questionnaire to assess possible exposure at home. Therefore, the study results might not be generalised to other areas of the country due to different lead sources.…”

Considering Screening When There May Be Minimal Direct Benefit to the Child

“…Childhood blood lead testing of asymptomatic children began in the 1970s. 2 Initially, most blood lead screening was done through local health departments, maternal and child health programs, and other community-based organizations, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal agencies. Screening was also recommended to occur within primary care and required for Medicaid-enrolled children at 1 and 2 years or by 6 years if not previously done.…”