Current issues in human lead exposure and regulation of lead.

Concern about lead as a significant public health problem has increased as epidemiological and experimental evidence has mounted regarding adverse health effects at successively lower levels of lead exposure. This concern has led to downward revision of criteria for acceptable blood lead concentrations to the 10 μg/dL mark now designated by EPA as a target level for regulatory development and enforcement clean-up purposes. Much progress has been made in reducing lead exposures during the past 10-15years, with marked declines evident both in air lead and blood lead concentrations in parallel to the phase-down of lead in gasoline and notable decreases in food lead exposure due to elimination of lead soldered cans by U.S. food processors