CDC Report on Exposure to Environmental Chemicals

[Posted 8/01/05] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published the most comprehensive assessment of the U.S. population's exposure to environmental chemicals using biomonitoring entitled Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Biomonitoring is done by measuring the amount of chemicals or their metabolites through blood, urine, or other human specimens. The Third Report includes first-time exposure information for the U.S. population for 38 of the 148 chemicals included in the report as well as the 1999-2000 data from the Second Report.

Highlights of the report include:

1. Reduction of blood lead levels in children aged 1 to 5 years from 4.4% in the early 1990s to 1.6% in the 1999-2002 period.

2. Decreased exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in non-smokers. Data comparing cotinine levels, a metabolite of nicotine, during the 1998-1991 period and the 1999-2002 period, showed that levels have decreased by 68% in children, 69% in adolescents, and 75% in adults.

3. The need to do further research on cadmium exposure, possibly from cigarette smoking, because approximately 5% of the U.S. population aged 20 years and over had urine cadmium levels at or near 1 microgram per gram of creatinine. At these levels, subtle kidney damage and possible low bone-mineral density is a concern.

4. The need to continue monitoring serum levels of organochlorine pesticides Aldrin, Endrin, and Dieldrin. Despite discontinuation of use of those pesticides in the U.S. in 1970 for aldrin and during the 1980s for endrin and dieldrin, they are still used in other countries.

5. Human exposure data to dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls, which will improve risk assessment research.

6. The need to define the safe blood levels of mercury and continue monitoring mercury exposure in women aged between 16-49 years. Current data (1999-2002) show that all women had levels below 58 microgram per liter, which is the concentration associated with neurodevelopmental defects in the fetus, however 5.7% of the women had levels within a factor of 10 of those levels.

7.  The availability of new markers to indicate phthalate exposure. However, there is still a need for more scientific data on the potential human health effects of plasticizers or phthalates used in making plastic and vinyl products.

8. The presence of widespread exposure to pyrethroids, commonly used in insecticides, in the U.S. There is a need for more scientific data on the possible human health effect of this group of chemicals at the levels found in the population today.

Related Link:
CDC Exposure Report

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