PHIs in the investigation of environmental drivers of elevated blood lead

Abstract

As more provinces and territories consider requiring the reporting to public health of clinical blood lead analyses, it is clear that public health inspectors (PHIs) have an important role to play in investigating higher-level results. The familiarity of PHIs with interviewing, inspections, and environmental sampling allows for the extension of their skills and knowledge to support effective investigations and public health interventions on behavioural and environmental sources of lead exposure. Here we review the steps involved in investigating higher-level blood lead reports and the roles and limits of PHI involvement in those investigations.