Abstract
This is the first large population-based study of demographic risk factors for elevated lead in Texas children. It summarizes data on 92,900 children covered by Medicaid screened for blood lead during the first 6 months on 1993 in Texas. The highest percentage of elevated lead levels (14.3%) was in children 25-36 months of age, with slightly lower percentages in those younger (13% of 19-24 months) and older (12% of 37-48 months) with blood lead levels greater than 10 μg/dl. The group with the highest percentage of elevated blood lead levels was 2-4-year-old African American males (17.3%), making this subgroup 3.5 times higher than the group with the lowest percentage - white girls over age 4 (4.8%). Males had higher blood lead levels for all ages and ethnic groups. Three principal risk factors were found for excessive blood lead in children: ethnicity, gender, and age; this is consistent with the second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II) and Phase I of the NHANES III results demonstrating ethnicity and income association with lead in children in the United States.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 66-68 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Environmental health perspectives |
Volume | 105 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1997 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Blood studies
- Children
- Lead
- Medicaid
- Risk
- Texas
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis