The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in late October that it had lowered the blood lead reference value (BLRV) for children in response to Lead Exposure Prevention and Advisory Committee (LEPAC) recommendations. The BLRV is now 3.5 µg/dL, down from the previous 5 µg/dL.
The new BLRV is intended to identify children with higher levels of lead in their blood compared to most children, based on the 97.5th percentile of the blood lead level (BLL) distribution in U.S. children ages 1–5 years. No safe BLL in children has been identified reports the agency, and even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect learning and academic achievement, some effects may even be permanent.
In making the announcement, CDC stated:
Despite the overall decline in BLLs, lead exposure remains a significant public health concern for some children because of persistent lead hazards in the environment. Sources of lead include housing contaminated with lead-based paint, soil contaminated by historical sources of lead including automobile gasoline and activities such as lead mining or smelting, drinking water lead service lines, and lead in household plumbing materials. Children may also be exposed to lead through ingestion of contaminated candies and food packaging; some folk remedies, cultural products, and consumer products; and lead dust that caregivers might bring home on their clothing from their workplaces.
“Over the last several months, both the CDC and EPA have announced new actions to better protect children and workers from the hazards associated with lead exposure,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “At Zimmetry, our environmental and industrial hygiene professionals have also been working to protect people from lead, asbestos and other potentially dangerous substances. We provide consulting, training, testing and building inspection services to identify and mitigate risks in Puerto Rico and throughout the region. These services are also essential for keeping businesses and institutions in compliance with environmental, health and safety regulations.”
To learn more about Zimmetry Environmental and their indoor air quality, industrial hygiene, environmental, compliance and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .
About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals, and Fortune 500 companies. The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America. The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs, and general environmental consulting services.
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