CDC has established a National Exposure Report to present biomonitoring exposure data from CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), large CDC exposure studies or surveys, and CDC studies of special population groups that are exposed to toxic substances. In the National Exposure Report released this year, CDC measured exposure of the U.S. population in 1999 to a total of 27 toxic substances, including heavy metals (e.g., lead, cadmium, mercury, beryllium, uranium), cotinine, organophosphate pesticides, and phthalates.
Over the next several years, the National Exposure Report will expand to include 100 toxic substances. New data will be presented annually and posted on CDC's Web site. This exposure information will 1) improve human risk assessment; 2) determine which toxicants are in the blood and urine of Americans; 3) measure the prevalence in the U.S. population of people with elevated levels of toxic substances (e.g., blood lead levels ³10 mg/dL); 4) establish reference ranges that physicians can use to determine whether a person has an unusually high blood or urine level of a toxic substance; 5) determine whether levels of toxic substances are higher among minorities, children, people of low income, the elderly, women of childbearing age, or other population groups; and 6) assess the effectiveness of public health efforts to reduce exposure of Americans to specific toxic substances (e.g., reducing exposure to pesticides).
See www.cdc.gov/nceh/dls and http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanesLearning Objectives: 1. Explain how the exposure of the U.S. population is assessed using biomonitoring. 2. Describe the exposure of the U.S. population to selected heavy metals, environmental tobacco smoke, selected organophosphate pesticides, and phthalates.
Keywords: Environmental Health Hazards, Public Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.