Blood Lead Levels in a Rural Population: Relative Elevations Among Migrant Farmworker Children

Most reports of lead poisoning or exposure to lead hazards have been from urban settings, with the epidemiology of elevated blood leads in rural populations remaining unclear. When urban and suburban populations are compared, higher levels are consistently found in urban settings. A study of smaller illinois cities (10,000 to 150,000 population) found blood lead elevations in 10% to 30% of the children evaluated, with no apparent correlation between community size and mean levels.1 Cohen and her colleagues2 reported that, although the mean blood level in a rural group was lower than in an urban group, 9% of children in their rural group had blood lead levels of 40 µg/100 ml or higher.