PHY3.B Lead in the blood of children: Median blood lead concentration among children ages 1–5, selected years 1976

PHY3.B Lead in the blood of children: Median blood lead concentration among children ages 1–5, selected years 1976–2004

Characteristic	1976–1980	1988–1991	1992–1994	1999–2000	2001–2002	2003–2004
Median blood lead concentration (µg/dL)
Total^a	14.4	3.5	2.6	2.1	1.6	1.6
Race and Hispanic origin^b
White, non-Hispanic	13.2	3.1	2.2	2.0	1.4	1.4
Black, non-Hispanic	19.7	5.2	4.3	2.8	2.3	2.4
Mexican American	—	3.8	3.1	2.0	1.6	1.6
Poverty Status
Below 100% poverty	—	4.7	4.0	2.8	2.3	2.2
At or above 100% poverty	—	3.0	2.2	1.8	1.4	1.4
— Not available.
^a Totals include data for racial/ethnic groups not shown separately.
^b From 1976–1994, the 1977 OMB Standards for Data on Race and Ethnicity were used to classify persons into one of the following four racial groups: White, Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, or Asian or Pacific Islander. For data from 1999 to 2004, the revised 1997 OMB standards were used. Persons could select one or more of five racial groups: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Data from 1999 onward are not directly comparable with data from earlier years. Persons of Mexican origin may be of any race. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) sample was designed to provide estimates specifically for persons of Mexican origin and not for all persons of Hispanic origin.
NOTE: A blood lead level of 10 µg/dL or greater is considered elevated,¹ but adverse health effects have been shown to occur at lower concentrations.²
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2002). Managing elevated blood lead levels among young children: Recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention. Atlanta, GA. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/CaseManagement/caseManage_main.htm
² Canfield, R.L., Henderson, C.R. Jr., Cory-Slechta, D.A., Cox, C., Jusko, T.A., and Lanphear, B.P. (2003). Intellectual impairment in children with blood lead concentrations below 10 microg per deciliter. New England Journal of Medicine, 348(16), 1517–1526.