# Presentation: 323113

## CDC, NIOSH’s Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) Program

**NIOSH--State partnership to prevent elevated BLLs in adults**
*By state-based tracking of laboratory-reported BLLs*
*By encouraging intervention research and practice*
**Surveillance case definition for an adult elevated BLL is 25 ********g/dL***** *****or greater**
*ABLES public health goal in *_*Healthy People 2010*_* is to reduce the rate of adults who have blood lead levels of 25 ****g/dL or greater to zero by 2010*
**OSHA currently**
*Allows adults to return to work when their BLL falls below 40 mcg/dL*
*Has National Emphasis Program to reduce lead levels** *

**Disclaimer**:  The findings and conclusions in this presentation have not been formally disseminated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy.

## What does the national ABLES program do?

**Fund and process data collection--40 sole-source contracts**
*$20,486 per state, $807,200 for FY2007 **	**Walter Alarcon*
*Data management & validity**	**	**Janet Graydon*
**Technical assistance and collaboration***	**	*
*Medical **	**	**	**	**	**Walter Alarcon*
*Industrial hygiene **	**	**	**	**Scott Henn*
*Epidemiologic**	**	**	**	**Alarcon/Luckhaupt/Tak? *
**Communications**
*Web topic page:  ****www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ABLES/ables.html**** **	**     *
*National meeting (with CSTE) **	**	**	**	*
*Listserv, MMWR and other publication **	**	**	**       **	*

## What research does the national ABLES program take part in?

**Potential Research collaborations/partnerships**
*AOEC Clinical BLL Guidelines *
*NCEH partnership for standardized lead surveillance (NEDSS?)*
*NCEH Lead and Pregnancy workgroup*
*NCEH Federal task force on nonresidential environmental lead sources*
*Federal Lead-based paint task force *
*Kyle Steenland--research on cancer, stroke, diabetes & kidney disease*
*Sara Luckhaupt--research on exposures to women*
*SangWoo Tak--research on exposures at the 50-60 mcg/dL level*
*Fang Gong—research on exposures by race and ethnicity*

## ABLES proposed pilot intervention project for NIOSH’sNational Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) FY07-FY09

**To lower BLLs in workers involved in lead-paint removal**
*Renovation, remodeling, remediation, painting*
**By letting contract to have ABLES state or other entity develop and carryout model intervention**
*~$47,000 per year for three years*
*Evaluate intervention effectiveness*
*Develop information products for transfer to other states** *
- Scott Henn and Aaron Sussell

## NIOSH analysis of ABLES data (SangWoo Tak)Follow up of workers with the medical removal level 2003-2005

**Describe the characteristics of adults with the medical removal level by industry in US**
**Examine the variability in proportions of workers with the medical removal level who were followed up between industries.**
** **
**Describe the characteristics of adults who were followed up (or not followed up) after reaching the medical removal levels**

## Strategic accomplishments from ABLES Program in 2007

**Make ABLES data more useful to outside researchers and users**
*Publish 2005 ABLES report in MMWR**	**	*
*Release ABLES summary data [1994-2005] on ABLES topic page*
*Share ABLES data with OSHA (MOU)  *
*Share ABLES data with qualified outside researchers **	*

## Which ABLES data are routinely reported?

**State**
_*of reporting*_*, *_*of residence*_*, of exposure*
**County**
*of residence, of exposure*
**Individual adult**
*unique ID, status (new or existing case), DOB/*_*age*_*, *_*sex,*_* ethnicity, race *
_*all cases (prevalence)*_
**Blood lead level test**
*All *_*>=25 mcg/dL*_* (voluntary <25), date of test, type of date*
**Source of exposure**
*work-relatedness, *_*SIC/NAICS code*_*, census occupation code, *_*non-occupational process of lead exposure*_

- _Underlined_ variables are routinely reported.

## Which ABLES data are to be shared?

**State**
*of reporting, of residence, of exposure*
**County**
***of residence, of exposure***
**Individual adult**
*unique ID, status (new or existing case), ****DOB****/age, sex*_*,*_* ethnicity, race*
*all cases*_* *_*(prevalence)*
**Blood lead level test**
*All >=25 mcg/dL (voluntary <25), date of test, type of date*
**Source of exposure**
*work-relatedness, SIC/NAICS code, census occupation code, non-occupational process of lead exposure*

**County-level and DOB variables will not be shared**

## Which are the provisions for data to be shared?

**ABLES data user must **
*State the purpose of the research*
*The length of time the data will be used *
*Destroy the data at the end of the use*
*Consult with NIOSH on use and publication*
*Protect the data according to NIOSH and local provisions*
**Concerns**
*unique ID might reveal personal identity*
*SIC/NAICS codes might reveal identity of specific business*

## States reporting to ABLES in 2008 (40)

**States reporting to ABLES in 2008 (40)**

**40 States with **
**ABLES contracts**

** ****15 States with ABLES  **
**contracts & Fundamental**
**Surveillance Programs**

## What does the new leadership of ABLES need to hear from the states to help plan for the future?

**Funding**
*Contracts or grants, level of funding** *
**Data delivery requirements**
*Twice per year collection, perhaps once per year*
*Additional or revised variables*
**Use of ABLES data**
*By NIOSH and by outside researchers*
**Research collaborations**
*Between NIOSH and state researchers*
**Interventions**
*Model intervention for lead Abatement workers*
**New case definition**
*HP 2020 target for adult lead levels*
* *