INCIDENCE OF LEAD-POISONING IN YOUNG-CHILDREN FROM INNER-CITY, SUBURBAN, AND RURAL COMMUNITIES

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have recently lowered the acceptable blood lead concentration in young children from less-than-or-equal-to 25 to less-than-or-equal-to mug/dl (less-than-or-equal-to 1.21 to less-than-or-equal-to 0.48 mumol/L). The incidence of lead toxicity with respect to geographical areas and socioeconomic status has not yet been defined. We evaluated the incidence of increased lead concentration in inner-city, suburban, and rural children aged 9 months to 3 years. Seven hundred eighty of the 4,196 studied inner-city samples (18.6%) had lead concentrations greater-than-or-equal-to 10 mug/dl (0.48 mumol/L), of which only 71 (1.6%) had lead values greater-than-or-equal-to 25 mug/dl (1.21 mumol/L). Only 5 of the 212 studied children (2.4%) from suburbia and 7 of the 120 children (5.8%) from rural communities had blood lead concentrations greater-than-or-equal-to 10 mug/dl (0.48 mumol/L). None of these children, however, had a lead concentration greater-than-or-equal-to 15 mug/dl (0.73 mumol/L). In contrast, 276 inner-city subjects (6.6%) had lead values greater-than-or-equal-to 15 mug/dl (0.73 mumol/L). Our data indicate that a correlation exists between geographical location and blood lead concentration in young children. Government health agencies at all levels should prioritize their limited resources for those areas that are most at risk for lead poisoning.