title: The lead industry and public health.
abstract: In 2003, the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (AOEC) formed a panel to develop consensus guidelines for the treatment of lead-exposed adults. However, a consensus was never reached due to interference from lead industry representatives. Lead industry interference in the AOEC panel is one instance of a long history of industry opposition to occupational and public health measures to prevent lead poisoning because of potential costs to the industry. At the time the AOEC panel was formed, no published guidelines existed for the medical management of lead exposure in adults comparable to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for managing lead exposure in children. Representatives of the lead industry frustrated the AOEC panel by insisting that "feasibility" (economic issues) be part of the medical decision-making process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs, New Jersey Health Care System, 385 Tremont Avenue, East Orange, NJ 07018, USA. wedeen@umdnj.edu
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Wedeen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002617:Chemical Industry; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood; D020265:Lead Poisoning, Nervous System, Adult / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D014481:United States; D014489:United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D007854:Lead