title: High-intensity targeted screening for elevated blood lead levels among children in 2 inner-city Chicago communities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We assessed the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels (> or = 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood), risk factors, and previous blood lead testing among children in 2 high-risk Chicago, Ill, communities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Through high-intensity targeted screening, blood lead levels were tested and risks were assessed among a representative sample of children aged 1 to 5 years who were at risk for lead exposure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 539 children who were tested, 27% had elevated blood lead levels, and 61% had never been tested previously. Elevated blood lead levels were associated with chipped exterior house paint.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the children who lived in these communities--where the prevalence for elevated blood lead levels among children was 12 times higher than the national prevalence--were not tested for lead poisoning. Our findings highlight the need for targeted community outreach that includes testing blood lead levels in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations.
authors.affiliation: Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch, Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/NIH, 4770 Buford Highway, Mail Stop F-40, Chamblee, GA 30341, USA. tdignam@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Timothy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Dignam
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Evens
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eduardo
authors.forename: Shokufeh M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.forename: Kathleen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Caldwell
authors.forename: Nikki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kilpatrick
authors.forename: Gary P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Noonan
authors.forename: W Dana
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Flanders
authors.forename: Pamela A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: McGeehin
mesh_terms: D002641:Chicago / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D007854:Lead