Screening for Elevated Lead Levels in Children

The evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against routine screening.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) periodically releases new and updated guidelines (guidelines homepage).

The USPSTF concludes each of its guidelines with a recommendation, graded as follows:

A — The intervention is strongly recommended.

B — The intervention is recommended.

C — The USPSTF makes no recommendation for or against the intervention.

D — The intervention is not routinely recommended.

I — Evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against the intervention.

The prevalence of blood lead levels >10 μg/dL among U.S. children aged 1 to 5 years dropped dramatically from 9.0% in 1990 to 1.6% in 2000. Risk factors for elevated blood lead levels include minority race or ethnicity, low income, and residing in a house built before …

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD