Lead Poisoning Found in Thousands of U.S. Communities

A Reuters study of public health data found 3,000 examples in the United States where lead poisoning rates exceed those in Flint, Michigan.

1 minute read

December 22, 2016, 10:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Lead Exposure

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M.B. Pell and Joshua Schneyer report for Reuters on a survey of lead poisoning around the United States. The Reuters examination found almost 3,000 areas in the United States with poisoning rates higher than in Flint, Michigan.

The Reuters analysis doesn't serve to diminish the scale of the tragedy in Flint, where five percent of the children who participated in a screening were found to have high levels of lead in their blood. But Flint is not an aberration, according to Pell and Schneyer, and the problem of lead exposure is a pervasive risk in states as far flung as Pennsylvania, Texas, and Maryland.

The Reuters study used data from state health departments and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, 2.5 percent of children nationwide have elevated levels of lead in their blood report Pell and Schneyer.

Monday, December 19, 2016 in Reuters

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