—Blood Lead Levels Ebb After Hurricanes “Flooding in New Orleans after Katrina and Rita reduced lead in soils—and by extension in children.” The devastating floods in New Orleans brought on by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 managed to deposit clean sediments on top of large areas of the city’s topsoil. In doing so, the storms dramatically altered the amount of lead contamination in the city. According to a new report, overall lead levels in the city’s soil declined by 46%, and that drop was reflected in the blood lead levels of the city’s children (Environ. Sci. Technol., DOI: 10.1021/es100572s).
by Bethany Halford | May 03, 2010
—EPA Tightens Standards For Lead Emissions “” Last week, EPA revised the nation’s air-quality standards for lead for the first time in three decades, tightening the allowable lead level 10-fold to 0.15 µg of lead per m3 of air. “America’s air is cleaner than a generation ago,” EPA Administrator Stephen L.
by Glenn Hess | October 20, 2008
Now, chemical and microscopic analyses of the city’s water pipes reveal a pockmarked pattern that confirms the lead came from corrosion of the pipes. The analysis also allowed the researchers to estimate the amount of lead released into the city’s water system. This study further highlights the hazards of lead accumulation and mobilization in water pipes, says Marc A.
by Emma Hiolski | August 17, 2017
—Lead In Crosshairs At Shooting Ranges “” Every year, gun users in the more than 12,000 military and nonmilitary shooting ranges in the U.S. pump about 60,000 tons of mostly lead ammunition into the environs of the ranges. "Lead buildup in the ranges has become one of the largest fluxes of lead into the U.S. environment," according to environmental chemist Xinde Cao of the University of Florida, Gainesville, who described his efforts to trace and eradicate this lead in a presentation before the Division of Environmental Chemistry.
by Ivan Amato | September 25, 2006
The proposed guidelines would limit lead to 10 parts per billion (ppb) for most baby foods packaged in jars, pouches, tubs, and boxes. But root vegetables and dry cereals would be limited to 20 ppb of lead. “For babies and young children who eat the foods covered in today’s draft guidance, the FDA estimates that these action levels could result in as much as a 24–27% reduction in exposure to lead from these foods,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf says in a press release. In April 2022, the FDA recommended limits of 10 ppb for lead in apple juice and 20 ppb for lead in other juices. The actions are part of the agency’s Closer to Zero effort, which aims to reduce lead to the lowest levels possible in foods commonly eaten by young children. Lead and other metals are taken up by fruits, vegetables, and grains from contaminated soil.
by Britt E. Erickson | January 25, 2023
—FDA Considers Lead Limits For Lipstick “” FDA has found low levels of lead in 400 brands of lipstick, prompting a coalition of advocacy groups called the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to renew a push for strict limits on the neurotoxic metal in cosmetics. The average value of lead in the lipsticks tested by FDA was 1.11 ppm, close to the average of 1.07 ppm reported by FDA in a similar survey in 2007. Lead levels reported in the new survey ranged from 0.03 ppm, the detection limit, to 7.19 ppm. FDA does not believe that the amount of lead found in the lipsticks poses a safety concern. “Lipstick, as a product intended for topical use with limited absorption, is ingested only in very small quantities,” the agency states. Nonetheless, FDA is currently evaluating whether to recommend a limit for lead in lipstick. “The biggest concern is for pregnant women—lead is a potent neurotoxin, and the fetus and very young children are most at risk,” says Jane Houlihan, senior vice president for research at the Environmental Working Group, one of the groups behind the campaign. /articles/90/i8/FDA-Considers-Lead-Limits-Lipstick.html 20120220 Concentrates 90 8 /magazine/90/09008.html FDA Considers Lead Limits For Lipstick lead, lipstick, FDA, cosmetics con Government & Policy Britt E. Erickson environment Shutterstock Lipsticks in various shades. personal care lipstick lead FDA Considers Lead Limits For Lipstick Chemical & Engineering News FDA Considers Lead Limits For Lipstick FDA Considers Lead Limits For Lipstick
by Britt E. Erickson | February 20, 2012
—Lead Exposure Limits Are Inadequate “” Allowable lead levels for U.S. workers, set by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, are inadequate, according to a National Research Council report released last week. The report, sponsored by the Department of Defense, focused primarily on lead exposure for workers at military firing ranges. It found, however, that OSHA’s current lead exposure limit for all workers is too high. The OSHA standard, set in 1978, is 40 µg of lead per deciliter of blood. This works out to an environmental exposure of 50 µg of lead per m3 of air. Noting that much research has taken place since 1978, NRC says OSHA’s blood lead standard should be one-quarter the current level.
by Jeff Johnson | December 10, 2012
The typical lead-acid battery under the hood of a car is a living fossil, employing chemistry that hasn’t changed much since the 19th century. Each battery has a negative metallic lead anode and a positive lead dioxide cathode, both immersed in an electrolyte of aqueous sulfuric acid. As the battery discharges, the lead and the lead dioxide react with bisulfate ions to yield lead sulfate.
by Alexander H. Tullo | February 05, 2018