[3] The ABLES program aims to accomplish this objective by providing guidance, technical support, and funding to build state capacity to initiate or improve adult blood lead surveillance programs which can accurately measure trends in adult BLLs and which can effectively target interventions to prevent lead exposures.
In 2008, OSHA updated its National Emphasis Program for Lead to reduce occupational exposures by targeting unsafe conditions or high hazard industries.
Based on data from 37 reporting states, ABLES established the 2010 baseline rate for Healthy People 2020 objective to reduce adult lead exposure.
[4] Elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) in adults can damage the nervous, hematologic, reproductive, renal, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal systems.
During 2008–2009, the greatest proportions of adults with elevated BLLs were employed in three main industry sectors:manufacturing, 72.1% in 2008 and 72.3% in 2009; construction, 13.2% in 2008 and 14.4% in 2009; and mining, 6.6% in 2008 and 5.1% in 2009.
Industry subsectors with the highest numbers of workers with elevated BLLs were manufacturing of storage batteries, secondary smelting and refining of nonferrous metals, and painting and paper hanging.
The NIOSH ABLES program partners with 40 funded states and one state that participates with no ABLES funding: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.