The state has released new data on blood lead levels in Michigan children. Thousands of children in the state show elevated blood lead levels.
In May 2022, the Centers for Disease Control updated their blood lead reference value, or BLRV. BLRV is used to identify children with higher levels of lead in their blood than 97.5% of children ages 1-5 across the U.S.
The CDC decreased the BLRV from 5 µg/dL (micrograms per deciliter) to 3.5 µg/dL and higher and Michigan followed suit. Previously, the state only had data available for levels 5 µg/dL and higher.
Though medical professionals stress there is no safe level of lead in blood.
The update means more affected children in the state can qualify for services. In a release, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said services including nursing case management, home environmental lead investigation and lead abatement will now be available to families and households with confirmed blood lead levels greater than or equal to 3.5 µg/dL. The previous threshold was 4.5 µg/dL.
According to data, more than 3,400 Michigan children had an elevated blood lead level of 3.5 µg/dL and higher in 2021. More than half of those children had a blood lead level of 5 µg/dL and higher.
Some of the highest case numbers of children with elevated blood lead levels were found in the state’s larger metro areas like Detroit, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. Though it should be noted these areas also tested more.
Michigan Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian said in a release that MDHHS is commited to preventing the state's children from being exposed to lead.
“Public health officials, health care providers and the general public can access data to learn about prevalence of childhood blood lead levels in their communities and make informed decisions about prevention efforts for exposure to lead in children,” she said.
Data can be accessed via the online MiTracking data portal. More information on lead safety and services can be found here.
