Children’s Blood Lead Levels By County: Crisis Not Flint’s Alone

More children in generally affluent Oakland County than in impoverished Flint, the epicenter of the nation’s lead crisis, tested positive for above-average levels of lead in their blood, according to 2015 data released Monday by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The data suggest the lead problem is worse in Detroit, where 1,618 children, or 7.5 percent of those tested, had unacceptable lead levels. In Genesee County, where Flint is located, 159 children, or 2.3 percent of the 6,979 children tested, had elevated blood lead levels.

The report builds on estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control that nearly half a million U.S. children have elevated blood lead levels that could cause irreversible brain damage and other health problems.

Statewide, almost 5,000 children tested in Michigan in 2015 had an elevated blood level, state health officials said in a news release.

• NEWSLETTER: Top Michigan Headlines from Patch Editor Beth Dalbey

The provisional data indicate 3.4 percent of Michigan children have unacceptable levels of lead in their blood, defined as greater than or equal to five micrograms per deciliter.

Here are selected results from Michigan counties:

• Wayne  County (excluding Detroit): 18,004 children tested; 307, or 1.7 percent, had elevated levels of lead. In Detroit, 1,618 children, or 7.5 percent of those tested, had elevated blood lead levels.
• Genesee County: 6,969 children tested; 159, or 2.3 percent of those tested, had elevated blood lead levels.
• Oakland County: 14,804 children tested; 206, or 1.4 percent, had elevated blood lead levels.
• Macomb County: 10,381 children tested; 113, or 1.1 percent, had elevated blood lead levels.
• Livingston County: 1,048 children tested; 9, or 0.9 percent, had elevated blood lead levels.
• Washtenaw County: 2,905 children tested; 45, or 1.5 percent, had elevated blood lead levels.

“Awareness is the one of the best defenses against lead poisoning,” Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive for MDHHS, said in a statement. 

“By making parents and caregivers aware of exposure hazards and teaching them safe cleaning and remediation practices, we can go a long way toward ensuring that children don’t suffer lifelong health impacts that can be caused by lead exposure,” she said.

Wells said the health department will work closely with the new Child Lead Poisoning Elimination Board and its chair, Lt. Gov.  Brian Calley, to develop a long-term statewide plan to prevent some of Michigan’s most vulnerable residents from being exposed to lead.

What You Should Do?

Major sources of lead exposure to U.S. children include lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust in deteriorating buildings.
Children can also be exposed to lead from other sources including drinking water, soil, take-home exposures from a workplace, lead bullets, and imported ceramics. Parents can reduce a child’s exposure to lead in many ways, including:

• Get your home tested, if you live in a home built prior to 1978, or before you buy an older home, ask for a lead inspection.
• Get your child tested. Even if young children seem healthy, talk to your healthcare provider about testing them for lead.
• Get the facts. For more information, contact the Michigan Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at (888) 322-4453 or visit michigan.gov/lead or www.michigan.gov/leadsafe.

The Department is currently finalizing provisional data and will provide comparison with past years in the final 2015 surveillance report.  The 2015 provisional data is posted below.

Image credit: Shutterstock