Announcement: Response to the Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Report, Low Level Lead Exposure Harms Children: A Renewed Call for Primary Prevention

Announcement: Response to the Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Report, Low Level Lead Exposure Harms Children: A Renewed Call for Primary Prevention

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On January 4, 2012, the Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention (ACCLPP), released the report, Low Level Lead Exposure Harms Children: A Renewed Call for Primary Prevention (1). The committee advised the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and CDC regarding new scientific knowledge, new technical developments, and their practical implications for childhood lead poisoning prevention efforts.
ACCLPP considered the usefulness of the "level of concern" as a result of accumulating scientific evidence of adverse effects of blood lead levels <10 µg/dL in children. In addition, ACCLPP considered laboratory capability for measuring blood lead levels in establishing new blood lead level guidance, provided advice to CDC on communicating to groups affected by policy changes, and made recommendations for further research on lead-exposure prevention and intervention strategies.
The ACCLPP report included a recommendation to eliminate the use of the term "blood lead level of concern" based on evidence of adverse health effects of levels <10 µg/dL in children. Instead, ACCLPP recommended the adoption of a "reference value" based on the 97.5th percentile of the blood lead level distribution in U.S. children aged 1–5 years, which currently is 5 µg/dL. ACCLPP also recommended that CDC focus priorities on implementing primary prevention strategies and best guidance to respond to children with blood lead levels above the reference value. CDC has reviewed the ACCLPP recommendations and concurs with the recommendations (2).

References

1. Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention. Low level lead exposure harms children: a renewed call for primary prevention. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention; 2012. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/acclpp/final_document_010412.pdf . Accessed May 18, 2012.
2. CDC. CDC response to Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention recommendations in "Low level lead exposure harms children: a renewed call for primary prevention." Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2012. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/acclpp/cdc_response_lead_exposure_recs.pdf . Accessed May 18, 2012.

May 25, 2012 / 61(20);383