| The Child and Adolescent Health Program of the New Jersey Department of Health is proposing to readopt, with amendments, repeals, and new rules, N.J.A.C. 8:51, Childhood Blood Lead At or Above the Blood Lead Reference Value, which establishes public health standards to help reduce, and eventually eliminate, elevated blood lead levels in children through lead screening, lead poisoning control, and abatement of identified lead hazards. This includes the determination of the level of lead in a child’s bloodstream that necessitates responsive action. In addition, the Department is proposing to readopt with amendments N.J.A.C. 8:51A, Screening of Children for Blood Lead At or Above the Blood Lead Reference Value, which implements the lead screening requirements, including the age of the child when initial screening is to be conducted, the time intervals between screening, the indicators that warrant follow-up testing, and the methods to be used to conduct lead screening.
The Department is proposing substantive changes to the existing chapters to implement recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These modifications include changing the actionable blood lead reference value from 5 micrograms per deciliter of whole blood to 3.5 micrograms per deciliter of whole blood; deleting the term “elevated blood lead level” except when used as a historical reference or in the name of an official publication; adding the term “blood lead reference value” and deleting the term “childhood elevated blood lead levels,” and instead using the term “childhood blood lead at or above the blood lead reference value” in the chapters’ titles.
The Notice of Proposal appears in the May 6, 2024, issue of the New Jersey Register. Persons wishing to comment on either proposal must submit written comments either electronically by July 5, 2024, to https://www.nj.gov/health/legal/rules/notice-of-rule-proposals/ecomments.shtml or by regular mail postmarked on or before July 5, 2024, to Kimberly E. Jenkins, Director, Office of Legal and Regulatory Compliance, New Jersey Department of Health, PO Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625-0360.
LexisNexis® provides free online access to the New Jersey Register at www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/njoal. Unofficial copies of the proposals are also available from the Department’s website at http://www.nj.gov/health/legal/rules.
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