America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007
Lead in the Blood of Children
Lead is a major environmental health hazard for young children. Childhood exposure to lead contributes to learning problems and behavioral problems.72, 73, 74, 75 A blood lead level of 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) or greater is considered elevated, but adverse health effects can occur at lower concentrations. 76, 77 A child with a 10 µg/dL blood lead level will experience, on average, a decrease in IQ of 6 points. 78 Lead exposures have declined since the 1970s, due largely to the removal of lead from gasoline and fewer homes with lead-based paint. However, 25 percent of U.S. homes have significant lead-based paint hazards, such as high lead levels in dust and soil, which may contribute to childhood exposure. 79 Children ages 1–5 years are particularly vulnerable because of frequent hand-to-mouth behavior.
Indicator PHY3.A: Percentage of children ages 1–5 with specified blood lead levels by race and Hispanic origin and poverty status, 2001–2004
* Data not shown. Estimate is considered unreliable (relative standard error is greater than 40 percent).
NOTE: Data for 2001–2004 are combined.
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
- In 2001–2004, about 1 percent of children ages 1–5 had elevated blood lead levels [greater than or equal to 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL)]. This is a substantial decline from the approximately 88 percent of children in 1976–1980 with blood lead levels at or above 10 µg/dL.
- About 17 percent of Black, non-Hispanic children, 4 percent of White, non-Hispanic children, and 4 percent of Mexican American children had blood lead levels at or above 5 µg/dL in 2001–2004.
- Children living in families with incomes below poverty generally had greater blood lead levels than children in families at or above poverty.
- The median blood lead concentration for children ages 1–5 dropped from about 14 µg/dL in 1976–1980 to about 2 µg/dL in 2003–2004.
Indicator PHY3.B: Median blood lead concentrations among children ages 1–5, selected years 1976–2004
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
PHY3A HTML Table, PHY3B HTML Table
PHY3A Excel Table, PHY3B Excel Table
72 Bellinger, D., Leviton, A., Waternaux, C., Needleman, H., and Rabinowitz, M. (1987). Longitudinal analyses of prenatal and postnatal lead exposure and early cognitive development. New England Journal of Medicine, 316 (17), 1037–43.
73 Needleman, H.L., Schell, A., Bellinger, D., Leviton, A., and Allred, E.N. (1990). The long-term effects of exposure to low doses of lead in childhood. An 11-year follow-up report. New England Journal of Medicine, 322 (2), 83–88.
74 Mendelsohn, A.L., Dreyer, B.P., Fierman, A.H., Rosen, C.M., Legano, L.A., Kruger, H.A., Lim, S.W., and Courtlandt, C.D. (1998). Low-level lead exposure and behavior in early childhood. Pediatrics, 101 (3), E10.
75 Needleman, H.L., Riess, J.A., Tobin, M.J., Biesecker, G.E., and Greenhouse, J.B. (1996). Bone lead levels and delinquent behavior. Journal of the American Medical Association, 275 (5), 363–369.
76 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2002). Managing Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Young Children: Recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/CaseManagement/caseManage_main.htm.
77 Canfield, R.L., Henderson, C.R., Jr., Cory-Slechta, D.A., Cox, C., Jusko, T.A., and Lanphear, B.P. (2003). Intellectual impairment in children with blood lead concentrations below 10 microg per deciliter. New England Journal of Medicine, 348 (16), 1517–1526.
78 Lanphear, B.P., Hornung, R., Khoury, J., Yolton, K., Baghurst, P., Bellinger, D.C., Canfield, R.L., Dietrich, K.N., Bornschein, R., Greene, T., Rothenberg, S.J., Needleman, H.L., Schnaas, L., Wasserman, G., Graziano, J., and Roberts, R. (2005). Low-level environmental lead exposure and children's intellectual function: an international pooled analysis. Environmental Health Perspectives, 113 (7), 894–899.
79 Jacobs, D.E., Clickner, R.P., Zhou, J.Y., Viet, S.M., Marker, D.A., Rogers, J.W., Zeldin, D.C., Broene, P., and Friedman, W. (2002). The prevalence of lead-based paint hazards in U.S. housing. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110 (10), A599–606.