Lead poisoning data reveals some improvement but greater cause for concern

A series of tables with the numbers of children with elevated blood lead (EBL) levels in Cuyahoga County and Cleveland were released by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.

A series of tables displaying the numbers of local children with elevated blood lead (EBL) levels from 2004 through 2009 were released by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.

http://ccbh.net/ccbh/opencms/CCBH/datastats/tables.html

Tables present the numbers of children with EBLs above 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood (5 mcg/dl) and at 10 mcg/dl and above, presented by the age at testing.

Levels at both levels continue to drop, but the tables show that there is an excess number of children shown to have levels 5 mcg/dl that do not meet the 10 mcg/dl level recognized by the CDC (see link.)

While it's not clearly known at which level (5 or 10 mcg/dl) when neurological, behavioral and learning disabilities set in, both lf these levels are presented in the table. Local public health leaders have adopted the 5 mcg/dl levels given the widespread occurrance of children with lead poisoning.

The greatest source of lead poisoning in children is due to the older housing stock that has used lead paint prior to its elimination in 1977 by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.  Lead dust and chips still can be shed by homes, externally and internally, unless the home has been remediated for lead. See this link for more information. Lead can be found in the air, drinking water and soil. (See the EPA site at this link.)

Data for 2004 through 2009 for Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are available at these links:

http://ccbh.net/ccbh/opencms/CCBH/datastats/2004lead.html

http://ccbh.net/ccbh/opencms/CCBH/datastats/2005lead.html

http://ccbh.net/ccbh/opencms/CCBH/datastats/2006lead.html

http://ccbh.net/ccbh/opencms/CCBH/datastats/2007lead.html

http://ccbh.net/ccbh/opencms/CCBH/datastats/2008lead.html

http://ccbh.net/ccbh/opencms/CCBH/datastats/2009lead.html