Blood lead levels in women of childbearing age
Phillip Jeffrey © Creative Commons
A study has found that the blood lead levels (BLLs) of women of childbearing age has substantially decreased in the past 40 years. The authors used NHANES data to look at BLLs of women between the ages of 15-49 from 1976-2016. In the first NHANES to measure BLLs (1976-1980), 98.3 percent of the study population had BLLs ≥5μg/dL compared to less than 1 percent from 2011-2016, and the mean BLL has declined from 10.37 to 0.61μg/dL from 1976 to 2016. Despite this decrease, at least half a million women in the U.S. are being exposed to lead levels that may harm fetuses or breastfeeding infants.
Modified on March 31, 2021