Lead Levels Considered Safe Could be Too High

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Frequent exposure to dangerous levels of lead is a thing of the past. Or is it? A new study reveals levels of lead exposure thought to be safe are linked to increased risk of death from many causes, including heart attack and stroke.

Researchers from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans wanted to know if so-called "safe" blood levels of 10 micrograms per deciliter actually were safe. They discovered blood levels as low as two micrograms per deciliter are linked to an increased risk of death.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines high blood levels as anything higher than 40 micrograms per deciliter. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends women of childbearing age have blood lead levels below 10 micrograms per deciliter.

Researchers measured the blood lead levels of 13,946 adults between 1988 and 1994. They report compared to people with lower lead levels, those with lead levels between 3.6 micrograms per deciliter and 10 micrograms per deciliter are 25-percent more likely to die from any cause and 55-percent more likely to die from cardiovascular disease.

Today, lead is used primarily to make batteries but is also used in bullets, pipes and roofing materials. Lead exposure can occur by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water, or by inhaling lead in the air in a job where lead is used.

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SOURCE: Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, published online Sept. 18, 2006