Carbon Monoxide Headquarters

Lead

Poisoning is usually chronic

Mean blood Pb level for Americans aged 1-74 continues to decrease -

..... 12.8 ug/dL 1976 - 80

..... 2.9 ug/dL 1988-91

..... 2.3 ug/dL in recent data

Children living in pre-1946 housing had an 8.6% rate of lead poisoning; 4.6% 1946-73; 1.6% post-1973 housing.

CDC data (1997) indicates approx. 890,000 American children have Pb levels =/> 10 ug/dL

Poisoning rates higher among black (11.2%) and Mexican-American (4%) than among white children (2.3%)

8.0% of low-income children are lead poisoned compared with 1.9% (middle-) and 1.0% (high-income) children