Lead Exposure among Women of Child-bearing Age— United States, 2004

Increasing evidence links moderate elevations in maternal blood lead levels (BLLs) with neurobehavioral deficits in children. Although CDC recommends a BLL of <10 µg/dL for children, recommendations for adults vary. We estimated the number of women of child-bearing age in the US whose BLLs exceed cutpoints ranging from 5 to 40 µg/dL. In 2004, 37 states reported all adult BLLs >25 µg/dL to the Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) program. We calculated rates of BLLs >25 µg/dL among women aged 16-44 in these 37 states. We calculated rates of BLLs >5 µg/dL in 10 states that reported BLLs of all levels. Among 37 states, 0.08 per 100,000 female residents had BLLs >40 µg/dL and 0.7 per 100,000 female residents had BLLs >25 µg/dL. Among 10 states, 3.8 per 100,000 female residents had BLLs >10 µg/dL and 11.1 per 100,000 female residents had BLLs >5 µg/dL. Rates of BLLs >25 µg/dL were 244 per 100,000 women employed in battery and related manufacturing, 7.1 per 100,000 women employed in all of manufacturing, and 0.6 per 100,000 women employed in all sectors. Among women with non-occupational exposures, the most common sources were ingestion and exposure during home remodeling. Many women of child-bearing age have elevated BLLs, but ABLES likely underestimates the true prevalence because most women do not have their BLLs measured. When determining an appropriate BLL limit for adults, public health authorities should consider that monitoring and addressing elevated BLLs among young women can prevent neurobehavioral deficits in children.