TUESDAY, June 16, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Among U.S. children aged 5 years or younger, blood lead levels (BLLs) have decreased, but disparities are seen by geography, race, and ethnicity, according to a study published online June 11 in the American Journal of Public Health.
Mary Jean Brown, Sc.D., R.N., from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues examined trends in BLLs among U.S. children aged 5 years or younger using 2011 to 2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. Geometric means were reported, in addition to prevalence of BLLs of ≥3.5 µg/dL or ≥5.0 µg/dL and linear trends.
The researchers observed a continual decline in national BLLs. Compared with previous years, in 2021 to 2023, geometric mean BLLs and the prevalence of BLLs of ≥3.5 µg/dL were lower for all groups. Detailed analyses were constrained by small recent NHANES sample sizes and limited state-level subgroup data. Disparities by geography, race, and ethnicity were revealed in state-level data.
"Lowering blood lead levels in children nationwide is one of public health's great success stories, but the national data don't tell the whole story," Brown said in a statement. "At the local level, too many children still face higher exposures."
One author disclosed ties to Meridien Scientific; a second author was compensated for providing expert testimony in legal cases involving childhood lead poisoning.
