Army Pediatric Blood Lead Reporting, 2019-2023

Lead, a naturally occurring heavy metal is not an essential element to human functioning and can be a health hazard. The fetus, infants and young children are most susceptible to harmful effects since the brain is in a period of rapid development. Children also can have more exposure from frequent hand-to-mouth behavior which can lead to higher lead doses by body weight than those of at-risk adults. Most U.S. adults and children have some amount of lead in their bodies because it is ubiquitous in the environment. The specific laws regarding lead exposure screening, testing, and reporting are established at the state level. However, a national blood lead reference value (BLRV) limit is recommended by the CDC: the elevated blood lead limit (BLL) was 5.0 ug/L blood up through 2022, when CDC lowered it to 3.5 ug/L. Army regulation directs installations to comply with state law. While most states require reporting BLL results above the CDC's 3.5 g/dL, some states (Louisiana, New York, North Carolina) require reporting all lead levels, including below 3.5 g/dL. The DCPH-A has supported the Army's child lead exposure program since 2019 by publicly providing quarterly pediatric blood lead surveillance reports. This document summarizes the surveillance findings of reported elevated blood lead levels (eBLLs) among Army dependents aged 0 to 6 years between 2019 and 2023. Over the 5 years (2019-2023), Army dependents with blood samples collected and tested had lower levels showed lower blood level levels than the (2015-2018) national data available at time of this TIP; though national levels may also be falling.