For more than 25 years the Boston Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (BCLPPP) has been monitoring the Blood Lead Levels (BLL) of children in the city of Boston. Because of the recognized decline in BLLs, an analysis of lead screening data was conducted for the period 1994 to 1999. The goal of the analysis was to determine if prevalence of lead poisoning has maintained a steady rate of decrease and to determine if the decrease has been uniform among Boston neighborhoods. From 1994 to 1999, 183,626 lead screening tests were conducted among children residing in the city of Boston. The overall prevalence of children poisoned at a BLL of 10ug/dl and above declined consistently between 1994 and 1999 from 9.3% to 5.1%. The prevalence of children poisoned at a BLL of 20ug/dl and above declined from 1.5 % to 0.5%. All the 15 neighborhoods of the city of Boston had a decline in their prevalence rates between 1994 and 1999. Only two communities (Allston/Brighton and South End) showed an increase in prevalence at the 10ug/dl level from 1997 to 1999. The Hyde Park neighborhood had an increase in the prevalence of children poisoned at the 20ug/dl level from 1998 to 1999. Looking at this data we can conclude that the prevalence of BLLs in the city of Boston has been declining at a steady rate but this decline was not uniform among neighborhoods, leading BCLPPP to streamline screening and prevention activities in those communities.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to: Define some trends in lead poisoning prevalence among Boston's children. Discuss some of the uses of lead posioning surveillance data
Keywords: Children's Health, Lead
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.