Continued Decline in Blood Lead Levels Among Adults in the United States

Muntner, Paul; Menke, Andy; DeSalvo, Karen B.; Rabito, Felicia A.; Batuman, Vecihi

doi:10.1001/archinte.165.18.2155

Cited by 279 publications

(261 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The background blood lead level of e37.5 ng/mL for condors in California is consistent with recent studies showing that non-lead-exposed raptors and seabirds possess low blood lead levels comparable to current background levels in humans (e.g., <50 ng/mL or 5 µg/dL) (33)(34)(35). This background condor blood lead level is substantially lower than the background blood lead criteria of <200 ng/mL (20 µg/dL) proposed for waterfowl (36) and Falconiformes (37).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

Ammunition is the Principal Source of Lead Accumulated by California Condors Re-Introduced to the Wild

Church

Gwiazda

Risebrough

et al. 2006

Environ. Sci. Technol.

158

105

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The endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) was reduced to a total population of 22 birds by the end of 1982. Their captive-bred descendants are now being released back into the wild in California, Arizona, and Baja California, where monitoring indicates they may accumulate lead to toxic levels. Fragments of ammunition in the carcasses of game animals such as deer, elk, and feral pigs not retrieved by hunters or in gut piles left in the field have been considered a plausible source of the lead, though little direct evidence is available to support this hypothesis. Here, we measured lead concentrations and isotope ratios in blood from 18 condors living in the wild in central California, in 8 pre-release birds, and in diet and ammunition samples to determine the importance of ammunition as a source of exposure. Blood lead levels in pre-release condors were low (average 27.7 ng/mL, SD 4.9 ng/mL) and isotopically similar to dietary and background environmental lead in California. In contrast, blood lead levels in free-flying condors were substantially higher (average 246 ng/mL, SD 229 ng/mL) with lead isotopic compositions that approached or matched those of the lead ammunition. A two-endmember mixing model defined by the background 207Pb/206Pb ratio of representative condor diet samples (0.8346) and the upper 207Pb/206Pb ratio of the ammunition samples (0.8184) was able to account for the blood lead isotopic compositions in 20 out of the 26 live condors sampled in this study (i.e., 77%). Finally, lead in tissues and in a serially sampled growing feather recovered post-mortem from a lead-poisoned condor in Arizona evidence acute exposure from an isotopically distinct lead source. Together, these data indicate that incidental ingestion of ammunition in carcasses of animals killed by hunters is the principal source of elevated lead exposure that threatens the recovery in the wild of this endangered species.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

Ammunition is the Principal Source of Lead Accumulated by California Condors Re-Introduced to the Wild

Church

Gwiazda

Risebrough

et al. 2006

Environ. Sci. Technol.

158

105

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“…BPb levels in this overweight and severely obese population were at expected levels for U.S. adults, at 1.5 mg/dl (Muntner et al, 2005). The absolute increase in BPb levels was only 2.1±3.9 mg/dl for the women with severe weight loss in this study with a final value of about 4 mg/dl.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 40%

Blood lead levels and bone turnover with weight reduction in women

Riedt

Buckley

Brolin

et al. 2008

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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High bone turnover states are known to raise blood lead levels (BPb). Caloric restriction will increase bone turnover, yet it remains unknown if weight reduction increases BPb due to mobilization of skeletal stores. We measured whole blood Pb levels ( 206 Pb) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in 73 women (age 24-75 years; BMI 23-61 kg/m 2 ) before and after 6 months of severe weight loss (S-WL), moderate weight loss (M-WL), or weight maintenance (WM). Baseline BPb levels were relatively low at 0.2-6.0 mg/dl, and directly associated with age (r ¼ 0.49, Po0.0001). After severe WL (À37.4 ± 9.3 kg, n ¼ 17), BPb increased by 2.1 ± 3.9 mg/dl (Po0.05), resulting in BPb levels of 1.3-12.5 mg/dl. M-WL (À5.6 ± 2.7 kg, n ¼ 39) and WM (0.3±1.3 kg, n ¼ 17) did not result in an increase in BPb levels (0.5±3.2 and 0.0±0.7 mg/dl, M-WL and WM, respectively). BPb levels increased more with greater WL (r ¼ 0.24, Po0.05). Bone turnover markers increased only with severe WL and were directly correlated with WL. At baseline, higher calcium intake was associated with lower BPb (r ¼ À0.273, Po0.02), however, this association was no longer present after 6 months. Severe weight reduction in obese women increases skeletal bone mobilization and BPb, but values remain well below levels defined as Pb overexposure.

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“…These uses have been phased out in many developed countries, and geometric mean blood lead levels among adults in the United States have declined from 13.1 lg/dL (0.63 lmol/L) in the late 1970s to 1.64 lg/dL (0.08 lmol/L) in 1999-2002. 5 However, sections of the general population continue to be exposed to excessive amounts of lead, especially from lead-based paints and contaminated soil in urban settings with an older housing stock. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Additionally, lead accumulates in the body which may become biologically available long after the occupational or environmental exposure has ceased.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 However, sections of the general population continue to be exposed to excessive amounts of lead, especially from lead-based paints and contaminated soil in urban settings with an older housing stock. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Additionally, lead accumulates in the body which may become biologically available long after the occupational or environmental exposure has ceased. 2,[14][15][16] Therefore, lead exposure is still a public health concern.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain cancer mortality and potential occupational exposure to lead: Findings from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study, 1979–1989

Wijngaarden

Dosemeci

2006

Intl Journal of Cancer

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We evaluated the association between potential occupational lead exposure and the risk of brain cancer mortality in the National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS), which is a prospective census-based cohort study of mortality among the noninstitutionalized United States population (1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989). The present study was limited to individuals for whom occupation and industry were available (n 5 317,968). Estimates of probability and intensity of lead exposure were assigned using a job-exposure matrix (JEM). Risk estimates for the impact of lead on brain cancer mortality were computed using standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and proportional hazards and Poisson regression techniques, adjusting for the effects of age, gender and several other covariates. Brain cancer mortality rates were greater among individuals in jobs potentially involving lead exposure as compared to those unexposed (age-and gender-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 5 1.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) 5 0.9-2.3) with indications of an exposure-response trend (probability: low HR 5 0.7 (95% CI 5 0.2-2.2), medium HR 5 1.4 (95% CI 5 0.8-2.5), high HR 5 2.2 (95% CI 5 1.2-4.0); intensity: low HR 5 1.2 (95% CI 5 0.7-2.1), medium/high HR 5 1.9 (95% CI 5 1.0-3.4)). Brain cancer risk was greatest among individuals with the highest levels of probability and intensity (HR 5 2.3; 95% CI 5 1.3-4.2). These findings provide further support for an association between occupational lead exposure and brain cancer mortality, but need to be interpreted cautiously due to the consideration of brain cancer as one disease entity and the absence of biological measures of lead exposure. ' 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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Continued Decline in Blood Lead Levels Among Adults in the United States

Cited by 279 publications

References 44 publications

Ammunition is the Principal Source of Lead Accumulated by California Condors Re-Introduced to the Wild

Ammunition is the Principal Source of Lead Accumulated by California Condors Re-Introduced to the Wild

Blood lead levels and bone turnover with weight reduction in women

Brain cancer mortality and potential occupational exposure to lead: Findings from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study, 1979–1989

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