More than 500,000 Kids have High Levels of Lead in Blood

A latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that more than half a million kids suffer from lead poisoning. This is roughly twice of what the health officials estimated last year.

The latest data proves that lead poisoning is still a major threat for kids.

Last year, the threshold for lead levels in children was revised by the CDC. It was lowered from 10 micrograms per deciliter (mg/dl) since 1991 to 5 mg/dl, and anything above this requires immediate medical attention.

This decision of lowering the threshold had caused an elevated risk, with more kids considered as having high levels of lead poisoning.

There are several health impacts tied with excessive lead levels such as restlessness, decrease in IQ levels, delayed neurodevelopment, attention problems and many more.

When the threshold was 10 mg/dl, there were nearly 77,000-255,000 kids below the age of 6 who were suffering from lead poisoning. At present, however, nearly 535,000 kids suffer from lead poisoning, meaning one in 38 kids below the age of 6.

The reason why researchers chose the age 6 for testing is because this is the age when kids are at a high risk of neurological problems caused by lead poisoning.

Sources of lead can be found everywhere, right from dirt, dust, old house paints (though the use of lead in paints has been banned) and tainted drinking water.

CDC's Mary Jean Brown, an author of the study, said that overall, the new CDC study found lead counts were higher on average in children who were poor or African-American. These kids are more likely to live in old housing or in neighborhoods with greater exposure to lead, reports CBS News.