Lead and Children - Some Good News!

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) compared the lead levels in children aged 1 to 5 years old from three time periods, 1988-1991, 1991-1994 and 1999-2004. The results show that far fewer kids have higher lead levels than 20 years ago. 8.6% of children had high lead levels in the 1988 - 1991 time period compared to only 1.4% in 1999-2004. Efforts to get lead out of paint, water and soil have reduced contamination. This is important progress because lead can interfere with the developing nervous system and cause permanent problems with learning, memory and behavior.