Environmental Exposures Flyer

Attachment 14f

Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
National Center for
Health Statistics

National Health and
Nutrition Examination Study

NHANES: Making Us Safer and Healthier
In the 1990s, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that Americans had too
much lead in their blood. Because of what we learned from people like you, companies removed lead from
paint and gasoline. For over 60 years, information from NHANES has helped create essential public health
guidelines. These guidelines have made us safer and healthier.
Now you have the chance to help protect and improve your health and the health of your family, your
community, and your country.

Have You Been Exposed to Harmful Materials Found in the Environment?
By taking part in NHANES, we can find out if you have been exposed to harmful materials like lead
and arsenic. Most doctors do not do these kinds of tests.

What will NHANES test me for?
We will use samples of your blood to find out if you have been exposed.

Lead:

Secondhand Tobacco Smoke:
Found in some water pipes, soil, and
imported paint and children’s toys.

Found in smoke from burning tobacco
products like cigarettes, cigars, and pipes.

Increases the risk of high blood pressure and
kidney damage.

Can cause cancer.
Can cause ear infections and breathing
problems for babies.

Can harm the nervous systems of unborn
babies and young children.

Mercury:

Arsenic:

Found in some fish and shellfish,
thermometers, and batteries.
Can cause shaking, memory loss, or problems
thinking.
Can cause problems for unborn babies,
including brain damage and problems with
hearing and seeing.

Cadmium:

Found in the air when coal or oil are burned
and in nickel-cadmium batteries.

Found in air, drinking water, and food. Of
these, food is usually the largest source of
arsenic.
Can cause vomiting, have fewer red and
white blood cells, affect the heart, and
damage blood vessels.
Can cause cancer, lung disease, heart
attacks, and kidney failure in young people
who were exposed before birth and in
early childhood.

Can cause kidney disease.
Can increase the risk of low bone density
in adults.

Learn More
For more information on NHANES visit: www.cdc.gov/nhanes
You may also call toll-free (English or Spanish) at: 1-800-452-6115

2021 Environmental Exposure Flyer