Research in Apha's Journal Offers First Look at Flint Blood Lead Spike
The first major research on Flint's lead-contaminated water was published in the February issue of APHA's American Journal of Public Health. Researchers compared blood lead levels and mapped them to city neighborhoods. The results: Blood lead level incidence in children under 5 increased from 2.4 percent to 4.9 percent after the city switched its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. In neighborhoods with the highest water lead levels, blood lead level incidence increased to 6.6 percent.
Amaria Roberson, 5, is screened for lead in January in Flint, Michigan, by first responder Brian Jones. Research found that blood lead levels in children under 5 rose in the city after its drinking water supply was contaminated.
Photo by Brett Carlsen, courtesy Getty Images
Rick Sadler, PhD, was one of the study's co-authors. An assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine, Division of Public Health, at Michigan State University's Flint campus, and an APHA member, Sadler shared some of the study's findings.
Nations Health. 2016;46(3):1, 15 © 2016 American Public Health Association
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