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Public Health
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Epidemiology
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Environmental Health
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Lead
Alaska Lead Surveillance Program
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What is lead? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention summarizes: "Lead is a soft, heavy, blue-gray metal. It occurs naturally in the earth’s crust, and human activities such as burning fossil fuels, mining, and manufacturing have spread it throughout the environment, including our homes and workplaces. Exposure to lead should be avoided. Lead is highly toxic to humans, especially young children. It has no known physiologic value to the human body." (www.cdc.gov/lead) Great effort has been undertaken in the United States over the last two decades to remove lead from gasoline, paints, and many other products. However, lead is still found in some types of ammunition, batteries, medical and scientific equipment and other products. Because lead does not break down or decompose, lead from past products remains in the environment. Click here for more detailed information on lead. How do people get exposed to lead? 
Occupational Exposures
Families of workers may be exposed to lead when workers bring lead dust home on their work clothes. This can be avoided if employers and employees follow the federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and use protective clothing that is cleaned properly. See 1910.1025 (g) (1) and (2).
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Non-occupational Exposures in Adults
People can also be exposed to lead in the home through various sources such as:
Exposures in Children Exposure routes for children include:
Older children's brains continue to develop, so they are also vulnerable to the toxic effects of lead. In Alaska, we have identified additional sources of lead exposures in older children including:
To learn about past lead exposures in Alaska, click here to access the Section of Epidemiology Bulletins. The decision to test a child's blood lead level is best made by the child's parents and health care provider, taking into consideration the child's exposure risk factors. Interested parents should discuss blood lead testing during their child's physical exam. The Environmental Public Health Program has lead testing materials available to health care providers interested in providing lead screening to Medicaid-eligible children. The test uses a finger stick to collect a capillary blood sample. Multivette tubes, lancets, and supporting paperwork will be provided. To order lead screening kits, please contact Rachel Kossover at rachel.kossover@alaska.gov. What are the health effects of lead exposure? Lead poisoning occurs when blood lead levels (BLLs) are elevated. Exposures occur primarily through breathing or ingesting lead. BLLs are currently the best indicators of personal lead exposure. People can minimize the risk of adverse health effects by preventing lead exposures. The effects of lead are the same whether lead enters the body through breathing or ingestion. Lead can affect almost every organ and system in your body. The main target for lead toxicity is the nervous system, both in adults and children. 
Alaska Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance Program Alaska has a comprehensive statewide blood lead surveillance program and targeted screening program to identify and control sources of lead exposure and assist in the medical management of patients with elevated blood lead levels (BLLs). In Alaska, elevated lead levels are found mostly in adults, usually as a result of mining occupations, casting of lead bullets or fishing weights, or exposure in shooting ranges. Present efforts are being directed towards targeted screening of populations potentially at risk for elevated lead exposures. These include occupational and non–occupational exposures. In Alaska, follow-up investigations are conducted for children under age 17 when the initial BLL is 10 µg/dL or higher and for adults when the initial BLL is 20 µg/dL or higher. For occupational exposures, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requires follow-ups when BLLs exceed 50 µg/dL. Alaska Public Health Reporting Law Title 7. Alaska Administrative Code. 27.014. Reporting of blood lead test results: (a) A physician, surgeon, or other health care provider shall report to the division, within four weeks of receiving the results of the test, information about a person for whom a blood lead test was performed where the reported blood lead test result is greater, or equal to, 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL). This information must include the name, date of birth, sex, race, ethnicity, community of residence of the person tested, the actual test result, and the name and the address of the health care provider for whom the test was performed. (b) A public, private, military, hospital, or other laboratory performing blood lead analyses in this state or on samples obtained in this state shall report, within four weeks of performing the test, information about a person for whom a blood lead test was performed where the reported blood lead test result is greater, or equal to, 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL). This information must include the name, date of birth, sex, race, ethnicity, community of residence of the person tested, the actual test result, and the name and the address of the health care provider for whom the test was performed. Providers and Laboratories - How to report Blood Lead Levels to the Alaska Division of Public Health:
To find out more about the lead surveillance program, contact Lori Verbrugge either by phone (907-269-8000) or e-mail (lori.verbrugge@alaska.gov). Most common lead exposures in Alaska (and associated literature): Shooting firearms Indoor firing range
Hand reloading ammunition
Fishing weight melting/casting Other hobbies, stained glass, soldering Drinking water- lead in pipes/solder Mining industry
Lead based paint home remodeling/repair
Remediation services for lead paint |
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