A new screening index to better target low-level lead exposure in Atlanta, Georgia

Abstract

Lead poisoning is often seen as a problem of the past. While acute cases are now rare, there is no known safe level of lead for children and blood lead levels at and below 5 μg/dL are associated with neurological deficits. Previous work has established that risk factors for lead exposure include race/ethnicity, poverty, Medicaid enrollment, housing built before 1950, and age. Efficient blood lead screening is crucial in the greater Atlanta area as pockets of poverty and old housing put some children at particularly high risk for chronic exposure to low levels of lead. Here, 20 years of data on children’s blood lead levels in Georgia were used to create maps to assess the spatial distribution of blood lead screening and blood lead levels in the Atlanta area. ZIP code tabulation area (ZCTA)-level screening rates continue to be associated with relative poverty but not with housing age, a well-established risk factor for lead exposure. Building on previous research, a priority screening index based on poverty and housing age was also created to identify specific high-risk census tracts for screening within Atlanta ZCTAs. This index shows a total of 18 highest-priority census tracts in the greater Atlanta area. Together, these 18 tracts contain 2715 children under six years old, 1.7% of all children under six years old in the entire greater Atlanta area.

Municipal Compost Public Health, Waste Management, and Urban Agriculture: A Decadal Study of Fugitive Pb in City of Boston, Massachusetts, USA

“…However, the same systems of oppression that the UA movement acts in resistance to are also responsible for disproportionately contaminating low-income communities and communities of color (Distler & Saikawa, 2020;…”

“…However, the same systems of oppression that the UA movement acts in resistance to are also responsible for disproportionately contaminating low‐income communities and communities of color (Distler & Saikawa, 2020 ; Filippelli & Laidlaw, 2010 ; Filippelli & Taylor, 2018 ; Kodros et al., 2022 ; Laidlaw et al., 2022 ; Morrison et al., 2013 ; Muller et al., 2018 ; Pamuk et al., 1998 ; Raymond & Brown, 2016 ; Saikawa & Filippelli, 2021 ; Yeter et al., 2020 ). Many studies have found that youth from low‐income families in urban areas have an increased risk of exposure to heavy metals, with racial and class disparities resulting in greater exposure burden (Distler & Saikawa, 2020 ; Filippelli & Laidlaw, 2010 ; Filippelli & Taylor, 2018 ; Morrison et al., 2013 ; Muller et al., 2018 ; Pamuk et al., 1998 ; Raymond & Brown, 2016 ; Saikawa & Filippelli, 2021 ; Yeter et al., 2020 ).…”

“…This supports the growing urban farming movement. Rather than treating organic urban waste streams as a problem to manage solely around cost control, design collection and processing approaches must minimize all fugitive contaminants so that these carbon sources can support UA, increase food sovereignty, and promote environmental justice.However, the same systems of oppression that the UA movement acts in resistance to are also responsible for disproportionately contaminating low-income communities and communities of color (Distler & Saikawa, 2020;…”

Community‐Engaged Assessment of Soil Lead Contamination in Atlanta Urban Growing Spaces

“…In 2018, 2,333 children below 6 years of age in Georgia were identified with BLLs above 5 μg/dL. This number was derived from a screening rate of about 20%, thus it is likely that the true number is much greater than what is reported (Distler & Saikawa, 2020). Permanent neurologic damage and behavior disorders have been associated with low BLLs, prompting the CDC to state that there is no safe BLL for Pb (Bellinger & Needleman, 2003; Bellinger et al., 1992; Dietrich et al., 2001; Needleman et al., 2002).…”

Invited Perspective: Assessing the Contaminant Exposure Risks of Urban Gardening: Call for Updated Health Guidelines

“…2002 ; Schwartz 1994 ). Racial and class disparities in HMM exposure are substantial, with African Americans and lower-income and disenfranchized communities bearing the greater exposure burden ( Distler and Saikawa 2020 ; Morrison et al. 2013 ; Muller et al.…”