Adult Lead Surveillance
Adult Blood Lead Reports
Adult Blood Lead Education Materials
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The Pennsylvania Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) program originally operated as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-funded (NIOSH) effort. The program was defunded at the national level in 2013, but DOH continues to track adult blood lead in Pennsylvania independently.

Adult lead poisoning is most commonly associated with occupational exposure. The age of the housing stock and aging water infrastructure are also relevant but more so for children. According to the 2015 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2015 ACS), sixty-nine percent of Pennsylvania homes were built before 1978, the year that the federal government banned the use of lead-based paint. DOH operates a second program for childhood lead poisoning.

The current Pennsylvania ABLES program collects all blood lead test results for adults 16 years of age or older in PA with a blood lead level of 5 μg/dL or greater. This information is used to report the number of adults in Pennsylvania with elevated blood lead levels and their source of lead exposure.

The ABLES program has developed a survey tool to expand our knowledge of workplace and non-workplace lead exposure. This tool includes web-based and phone interviews of individuals that have been exposed to lead. Please see the materials below for additional information on our adult blood lead surveillance project.

• Frequently Asked Questions for Lead Exposure Interviews