Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Colorado Occupational Health Surveillance Program

Colorado Occupational Blood Lead Registry


Occupational exposure to lead continues to be an important health problem in the United States, occurring in at least 120 different occupations. Colorado has many industries and occupations that have been known to present exposures to lead, including:

  • bullet arrow Construction,
  • bullet arrow Manufacturing,
  • bullet arrow Mining,
  • bullet arrow Painting,
  • bullet arrow Radiator repair,
  • bullet arrow Renovation
  • bullet arrow Smelting,
  • bullet arrow Welding, and
  • bullet arrow Firing Ranges.

 

 

Lead - Health Effects


Lead is a potent poison that serves no known useful function once absorbed by your body. Lead can be inhaled and ingested. Most occupational exposure is from breathing inorganic lead dust and fumes. Eating, drinking and smoking on the work site or handling lead contaminated objects without proper personal protective equipment (PPE) or basic personal hygiene practices can result in unintentional exposure to lead.

 

There is a wide range of symptoms of lead poisoning, many of which imitate other diseases. Common symptoms of acute (short-term) lead poisoning are loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, constipation, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, moodiness, headache, joint or muscle aches, anemia and decreased sexual drive.

 

Chronic (long-term) overexposure to lead may result in severe damage to the blood-forming, nervous, urinary, and reproductive systems. Chronic poisoning is more common in industrial settings where small amounts of lead can gradually build up in the body and result in temporary or permanent damage. Elevated blood lead levels in workers have been associated with decreased kidney and brain function, reproductive problems, and hypertension.

 

Workers can also expose their families to harmful levels of leadby bringing lead home on their clothes, skin, hair, tools and in their vehicles. Children under the age of 6 and the unborn child of pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of lead exposure. Children exposed to low levels of lead may exhibit symptoms of neurological damage, including learning disabilities and short attention spans.

 

 

Blood Lead Testing in Colorado


A blood lead test measures the amount of lead in the blood. Blood Lead Levels (BLLs) are reportable in Colorado per Colorado Revised Statute 25-1-122. All laboratories must report elevated adult BLLs to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Blood Lead Registry. Colorado’s Occupational Health Surveillance Program collects and analyzes all elevated blood lead tests for adults (age 18 years and up) that undergo blood lead testing. An elevated test is considered a BLL greater than 25 micrograms per deciliter (ug/dL). By tracking elevated BLLs Colorado can:


  • bullet arrow Identify and follow up on elevated blood lead reports to reduce lead poisoning in workers. Many tasks and jobs can expose workers to harmful levels of lead, but making simple changes in the workplace can usually prevent lead poisoning.
  • bullet arrow Determine the number of workers in Colorado who may be lead poisoned, what industries they work in, where they live and work and whether they are potentially exposing their families to lead.

 

  • bullet arrow Track trends in the incidence and prevalence of occupational lead poisoning; share information with the public, health care providers, public health professionals and labor and industry stakeholders.

 

For more information, please contact the Occupational Health Surveillance Program at (303) 692-2964.