Today at least 4 million households have children living in them that are being exposed to high levels of lead. There are approximately half a million U.S. children ages 1-5 with blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL), the reference level at which CDC recommends public health actions be initiated.
No safe blood lead level in children has been identified. Lead exposure can affect nearly every system in the body. Because lead exposure often occurs with no obvious symptoms, it frequently goes unrecognized. CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program is committed to the Healthy People 2020 goals of eliminating blood lead levels ≥ 10 µg/dL and differences in average risk based on race and social class as public health concerns. The program is part of the National Center for Environmental Health's Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services.
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Information for Parents
Tips for preventing lead poisoning -
About Us
Overview of CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program -
DATA, STATISTICS, AND SURVEILLANCE
Data and statistics highlights -
State Programs
Lead poisoning prevention programs -
Partners
Federal agencies and state and local lead programs
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PREVENTING CHILDHOOD LEAD POISONING
At-risk populations and sources of lead -
POLICY RESOURCES
Data sharing, lead laws, and lead-safe policies and tools -
Publications
Scientific articles -
TOOLS AND TRAINING
Training on collecting and handling blood lead samples, national training center, and more -
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week and more
Related Links
- Lead Poisoning Prevention Subcommittee
- Lead in the workplace National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) / Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology Surveillance Program (ABLES)
- Lead in the environment Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
- Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Healthy Homes
Lead Recalls
Visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website to see product recalls related to lead and other hazards: https://www.cpsc.gov/
- Page last reviewed: June 15, 2013
- Page last updated: September 7, 2016
- Content source: National Center for Environmental Health, Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services