title: Increased incidence and altered risk demographics of childhood lead poisoning: predicting the impacts of the CDC’s 5 µg/dL reference value in Massachusetts (USA).
abstract: In May 2012, the CDC adopted a new sliding scale reference value for childhood lead poisoning, reducing the former 10 μg/dL benchmark by half. Using Massachusetts (MA) as a model state, we estimated the change in the population of 9-47 month-olds at risk for lead poisoning. We then examined the impact of the 5 µg/dL reference value on the demographic characteristics of lead risk in MA communities. We find that the new CDC benchmark will lead to a 1470% increase in childhood lead poisoning cases among 9-47 month-olds in MA, with nearly 50% of the examined communities experiencing an increased prevalence of lead poisoning. Further, the top 10 MA communities with BLLs ≥5 μg/dL have significantly fewer foreign-born residents and significantly larger white populations than the highest risk communities formerly identified by the MA Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. The CDC's new 5 μg/dL lead poisoning benchmark will drastically increase the number of children with elevated BLLs and alter the distribution and demographics high-risk communities in MA.
authors.affiliation: Wellesley College, Department of Environmental Studies, 21 Wellesley College Road, c/o Daniel Brabander, Wellesley, MA 02481, USA. phandler@wellesley.edu
authors.forename: Phoebe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Handler
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brabander
mesh_terms: D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003710:Demography; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology