Frisco Blood Lead Testing Fact Sheet

Background
In 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for lead which caused part of Frisco, Texas to become a non-attainment zone; the air in this zone does not meet the new standard. Designating this zone as a non-attainment area caused concerns among local residents living in this area about whether they were being exposed to lead. In response to these concerns, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) collected blood samples from Frisco area residents and had them analyzed for lead. The blood lead testing was provided at no cost to any resident (child or adult) wanting to be tested. age groups throughout the United States. In addition to the 2 adults with blood lead levels above 10 g/dL, 12 people (2%) had blood lead levels less than 10 g/dL but higher than what is expected based on information from NHANES. DSHS maintains a registry of blood lead tests conducted on children in Texas. Of the 485,274 children under the age of 15 tested in 2010, 85% had blood lead levels less than or equal to 2 g/dL. The 2010 test results for Texas include 711 children from Frisco, 76% of whom had blood lead levels less than or equal to 2 g/dL.

Conclusions
Exposure to lead can cause learning disabilities and behavioral problems, as well as more severe effects at higher doses such as seizures, coma, and death. Although the CDC recommends public health actions be taken when a child's blood lead level exceeds 10 g/dL, recent literature suggests that blood lead levels below 10 g/dL might affect a childs physical and mental development. The results of this screening are consistent both with national and state data with the majority of people having blood lead levels less than 2 g/dL. Although a few people who had levels below 10 g/dL were higher than 95% of those in their age group measured nationally, these results do not indicate any unusual community-wide exposure to lead. DSHS will be releasing a complete document of our findings in August 2011. Notices will be sent to all participants when the final report is released.

Blood Lead Sample Results

From March 24 through March 27, 2011, DSHS collected blood samples from 621 participants, 13 of which (2%) were rejected for not meeting laboratory standards. Statewide, approximately two to three percent of samples collected fail to meet laboratory standards and the rejection of a sample by the laboratory has no relationship to the amount of lead that may be in the sample. Of the 608 blood samples tested by the laboratory, 575 (95%) did not contain detectable levels of lead (less than 2 g/dL or micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood). Only 2 samples, both from adults, were found to have levels of lead above 10 g/dL, the level that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers elevated for children. However, adults are less sensitive than children to the harmful effects from lead. The CDC and the United States Department of Health and Human Services recommend that adult blood lead levels should be less than 25 g/dL. The highest blood lead level measured during this event was 15 g/dL. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which is conducted by the CDC and is used to provide us with information about the health and nutrition of children and adults across the United States, reports that most people have some lead in their bodies. Of the people tested in Frisco, 594 (98%) had blood lead levels consistent with those found in people in their respective

For more information please contact the: Texas Department of State Health Services Health Assessment & Toxicology Group 1100 West 49th Street, MC 1964 Austin, Texas 78756 1 (800) 588-1248
For more information regarding childhood and adult blood lead please visit: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/lead/