This document provides a brief overview of commonly used analytical methods for measuring the concentration of lead in blood. It is primarily aimed at informing public health personnel, scientific institutions and policy-makers who are not laboratory specialists but who may need to develop plans for conducting human biomonitoring studies, performing blood lead prevalence screening, and other public health actions related to the assessment of human exposure to lead.
For each analytical method there is a brief description of its characteristics, including its strengths and limitations. This document also highlights, for various types of applications and scenarios, the considerations when selecting an analytical method. It also describes considerations when deciding whether to establish a laboratory service for blood lead measurement, or whether to contract out. This document does not aim to provide a description of analytical methods and protocols or to make specific recommendations regarding methods or specific instruments. Detailed technical information on this subject is available elsewhere.
