The effect of lead exposure on children's development and later success in the adult world is well understood. The decline in average blood lead levels in the United States has been well documented. However, despite the appearance of uniform and widespread success in eliminating childhood lead poisoning, large numbers of children continue to be at high risk for exposure to lead based paint and to soil and house dust that are contaminated with such paint. The distribution of elevated BPb varies widely within the United States, with some communities reporting prevalence rates much higher than either the national rate or rates in neighboring communities. We report here a cross-sectional analysis of the risk of BPb > 10 µg/dL by ZIP code for 5 communities. The proportion of children with BPb > 10 µg/dL by ZIP code in the entire sample of 187 ZIP codes in the 5 cities ranged from 0 (n=6) to 47% (n=1). There were a total of 23 (12%) ZIP codes where the percentage of children with BPb > 10 µg/dL was < 4.4%. Analyses of local level data allows programs to concentrate housing remediation resources in the highest risk communities and redouble efforts to screen children with high risk. Analyses conducted at inappropriate geographic levels will not help to identify these areas. Strategies to prevent lead exposure should be both informed and evaluated by data collected at the appropriate geographic level.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify factors that increase risk for childhood lead poisoning at the zipcode level. 2. Devise targeting stratgies to reach at risk children and housing.
Keywords: Community Health Assessment, Environmental Health Hazards
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.