POSITION PAPER OF THE AMERICAN-COUNCIL-ON-SCIENCE-AND-HEALTH - LEAD AND HUMAN HEALTH

The potential human health risk of lead in the environment remains a t opic of current debate and concern, Given sufficient exposure, lead ca n exert severe and chronic health effects, Today, due to successful ef forts to reduce the commercial use of lead and control its release to the environment, lead ''poisoning'' is uncommon in our society, Blood lead levels among the U.S. population, including those of children, ha ve decreased dramatically over the past decade and according to curren t surveillance programs continue to decline. Because lead poisoning am ong children is no longer as prevalent as it once was, the focus has s hifted to the long-term effects lead may exert on the intellectual dev elopment of children. Continued toxicological and epidemiological rese arch will expand the understanding of this important facet of the lead issue, Trace levels of lead in consumer products remain a low health risk to humans, despite the fear and uncertainty which often accompany such concerns. Future efforts to reduce lead exposure should be aimed at high-risk groups which include the socioeconomically disadvantaged and certain minority sectors of the population, Through educational p rograms, improvement in personal hygiene practices, and abatement of l ead-containing paint (when warranted), blood lead levels should contin ue to decline, reducing the health risk to lead in the environment. (C ) 1997 Academic Press.