What is lead poisoning?
Lead poisoning is caused by swallowing or breathing lead. Lead is poison when it gets into the body and can stay in your body for a long time.
Lead is harmful to children because their bodies and brains are still growing and developing. Young children absorb lead more easily than adults. Lead exposure is most likely to cause harm during pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood before age 6. The harm done by lead may never go away.
There is no safe level of lead exposure. Even low levels of lead can harm the health of a child.
Lead in the body can:
- Hurt the brain, kidneys, and nervous system
- Slow down growth and development
- Make it hard to learn
- Damage hearing and speech
- Cause behavior problems
Why does MA EPHT track lead poisoning in children?
Before the use of lead was restricted, approximately 88% of preschool children in the U.S. had levels of lead in their blood high enough to cause serious health effects. With less lead in our environment, the number of children with lead poisoning has decreased.
In October 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lowered the blood lead reference value (BLRV) from 5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) to 3.5 µg/dL. This number helps identify children who have higher blood lead levels than most. It is based on the 97.5th percentile of blood lead values reported among U.S. children ages 1-5 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). When a child’s blood lead level is at or above this value, the CDC recommends public health action.
The Massachusetts Lead Poisoning Prevention and Control Act is a state law that requires all children to be screened for lead poisoning each year from 9 months through age three. Children living in high-risk communities must be screened each year through age four. All children must show proof of screening to enter daycare, pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten.
By tracking children with lead poisoning, we can:
- Identify children at higher risk to target prevention and outreach activities
- Make case management services available to each child with lead poisoning
- Monitor progress towards eliminating childhood lead poisoning
- Evaluate and monitor trends to identify high-risk populations
- Remove and reduce sources of lead
- Develop and evaluate interventions and programs
The DPH Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) developed an educational tool for pediatric clinicians focused on childhood lead exposure and screening by community.
Each year, DPH identifies communities with a higher risk of childhood lead poisoning. This allows us to better target resources and reduce disproportionate impacts associated with lead exposure.
How to prevent lead poisoning in children?
Childhood lead poisoning is preventable.
The main source of lead exposure in Massachusetts is lead paint in older homes. Homes built before 1978 may have lead paint on the inside and outside of the building. When old paint peels and cracks, it creates lead paint chips and lead dust. Lead dust also comes from opening and closing old windows. Home repairs and renovations also create lead dust, which lands on the floor and elsewhere. Lead gets into children’s bodies when they touch lead dust and put their hands and toys in their mouths. Children can also breathe in lead dust. Children between the ages of 9 months and 6 years are at risk, but toddlers who are teething and crawling are most at risk.
Lead can also be found in drinking water, soil, and other places too. Less common sources of lead exposure include:
- Ceramic dishes
- Brass containers
- Foreign/antique tea kettles (like samovars)
- Children’s toys and jewelry
- Arts and crafts supplies like solder, paints, enamels, inks, and glazes
- Bullets
- Fishing sinkers
- Some folk medicines and cosmetics from other countries (like kohl)
- Spices bought from other countries, such as turmeric and paprika
- Worn or chipping porcelain-sinks and bathtubs (such as claw-foot tubs)
- Homes must be inspected for lead hazards
- Lead in a child's environment must be removed or properly contained
- All health care professionals must be educated about lead poisoning and how to prevent it
- Children who are at risk of lead poisoning need to be tested and, if necessary, treated
- Home renovation and repairs must be done using lead-safe work practices
Contact the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) for questions about lead poisoning, how to test your child for lead, how to interpret your child’s blood lead test result, or the state Lead Law. CLPPP provides a range of prevention services to Massachusetts families.
Available data
Use the Explore childhood lead poisoning data on this page to access the following measures for childhood lead poisoning:
- Number and percent screened
- Number and prevalence of blood lead levels
- Explore data in tables, charts, and maps
MA EPHT presents screening and blood lead level data for the following geographies: census tract, community (including those on the most recent high-risk community list), county, EOHHS region, EP region, and statewide. The most current available data is shown. Be sure to check the site periodically as new data are added. To protect privacy, no information is shown that could potentially identify an individual.
Related links
Additional resources
Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP):Helps prevent, screen, diagnose, and treat childhood lead poisoning
- Massachusetts CLPPP Lead Brochures and Fact Sheets: Resources of lead and lead exposure available in English and non-English versions
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Is there lead in my tap water?: Information on how lead gets into tap water, what you should know about this issue, and what the state is doing about it
National
- CDC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program: Information on the federal childhood lead poisoning prevention program
- CDC Childhood Lead Poisoning State and Local Programs: Lists state and local childhood lead poisoning prevention programs
- CDC National Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) for Childhood Lead Poisoning: CDC’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking website
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) environmental sources of lead: Comprehensive information on health effects, sources, and regulations on lead in paint, dust, and soil
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): Information for reducing exposure to lead in the home
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs for Lead: Frequently asked health questions about lead
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS): Information for the public and educators on the hazards of lead and programs for reducing exposure, including research studies
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