title: Blood lead levels of refugee children resettled in Massachusetts, 2000 to 2007.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We described elevated blood lead level (BLL; ≥ 10 μg/dL) prevalence among newly arrived refugee children in Massachusetts. We also investigated the incidence of BLL increases and BLLs newly elevated to 20 μg/dL or higher in the year following initial testing, along with associated factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We merged data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Refugee and Immigrant Health Program and the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program on 1148 refugee children younger than 7 years who arrived in Massachusetts from 2000 to 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elevated BLL prevalence was 16% among newly arrived refugee children. The rate ratio for BLL elevation to 20 μg/dL or higher after arrival was 12.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.2, 24.5) compared with children in communities the state defines as high-risk for childhood lead exposure. Residence in a census tract with older housing (median year built before 1950) was associated with a higher rate of BLL increases after resettlement (hazard ratio = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.2, 2.3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Refugee children are at high risk of lead exposure before and after resettlement in Massachusetts. A national surveillance system of refugee children's BLLs following resettlement would allow more in-depth analysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. katherine_eisenberg@urmc.rochester.edu
authors.forename: Katherine W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.forename: Edwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van Wijngaarden
authors.forename: Susan G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: Katrina S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Korfmacher
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: I Diana
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cochran
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Geltman
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012036:Refugees / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D007854:Lead