Michigan ranked third in the nation among states when it came to traces of lead in young children's blood.
A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Pediatrics this week showed about half of the children in the U.S. had detectable lead levels, but in Michigan it was 78 percent, Bloomberg News reports. Only Nebraska (83%) and Missouri (82%) had higher percentages.
Emma Court of Bloomberg reports:
While most of the kids had relatively smaller amounts, about 4.5% in Michigan had a level that is considered elevated. The research tracked more than 1.1 million children under the age of 6 years who underwent lead testing from October 2018 through February 2020.
The findings are likely to raise public health alarms in the U.S., especially amid concerns that lead exposure may be worsening during the pandemic, as well as new questions about the significance of lower levels of lead exposure.
Kids get exposed to lead in their environment, often through lead paint in older homes. Other sources include lead pipes that bring water into houses and lead found in soil outdoors. There is no level of lead in blood that’s known to be safe, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
