As a part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Lead Poisoning Prevention Initiative, the CDC Foundation is building and strengthening laboratory capacity for blood lead level testing, which is critical for early detection and monitoring of lead exposure. Because symptoms of lead poisoning are typically subclinical, most affected individuals are unaware of their exposure. Blood lead level testing is the most reliable way to confirm exposure. The CDC Foundation has established an Expert Advisory Committee to develop a Global Blood Lead Level Testing Laboratory Toolkit with standardized resources to support accurate and reliable blood lead level testing in every country, state, or region.
Dr. Patrick Parsons, Director of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences at the Wadsworth Center, has been invited by the CDC Foundation to join the Expert Advisory Committee to work with the Technical Committee on developing a toolkit designed to address blood lead testing needs in low to middle income countries. Dr. Parsons was selected based on his 40 years of experience overseeing Wadsworth’s Lead Poisoning laboratory, including developing new methods of analysis for blood lead testing, and chairing clinical standards committees for blood lead testing.