Locations
Maine
Statistics on children, youth and families in Maine from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Maine Children's Alliance
Why This Indicator Matters
Why it is important
According to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, protecting children from exposure to lead is important to lifelong good health. There is no safe level of lead in a person’s blood. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect IQ, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement. The most important step parents, doctors, and others can take is to prevent lead exposure before it occurs. CDC fact sheet on elevated lead levels in children
Maine law implemented in June 2019 requires blood lead tests for all children at 1 and 2 years of age.
The latest federal CDC guidelines reduced the blood reference value (BLRV)—the measure used to determine when interventions are needed—from 5 μg/dL to 3.5 μg/dL as even lower levels are now understood as unsafe.
What the data shows
In Maine, in 2021, 1.9% of Maine children ages 0 -36 months tested for blood lead were found to have a venous blood lead level of 5 µg/dL or higher. Since 2003, there has been a steady decrease in the number of children identified with lead poisoning, from 1,194 in 2003, to 586 in 2008, 399 in 2013 to 2021 when there were an estimated 265 children ages 0 - 3 with a blood lead level at or above 5 micrograms per deciliter (ug/dL).
In 2021, 14,006 children ages 0-36 months were screened, 171 fewer children than in 2020 when 14,177 children were screened, but up from 12,599 the year before. Of the number screened, approximately 1.9% tested positive for elevated blood lead levels, the same rate as 2020, but lower than previous years.
At a county level, in 2021, the counties with the highest rates of lead poisonings were: Waldo, (4.4%); Somerset, (2.8%); and Knox, (2.7%) of children ages 0-3 who were tested. Three counties in 2021 had less than 5 children with lead poisoning. These were: Franklin, Piscataquis and Sagadahoc.
Towns with high rate of screenings that were positive for lead poisoning from 2017-2021 included: Guilford (17.1%), Bingham (12.0), and Milo (11.1%) showing that it is not just housing in the most urban areas that present risks.
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According to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, protecting children from exposure to lead is important to lifelong good health. There is no safe level of lead in a person’s blood. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect IQ, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement. The most important step parents, doctors, and others can take is to prevent lead exposure before it occurs. CDC fact sheet on elevated lead levels in children
Maine law implemented in June 2019 requires blood lead tests for all children at 1 and 2 years of age.
The latest federal CDC guidelines reduced the blood reference value (BLRV)—the measure used to determine when interventions are needed—from 5 μg/dL to 3.5 μg/dL as even lower levels are now understood as unsafe.
What the data shows
In Maine, in 2021, 1.9% of Maine children ages 0 -36 months tested for blood lead were found to have a venous blood lead level of 5 µg/dL or higher. Since 2003, there has been a steady decrease in the number of children identified with lead poisoning, from 1,194 in 2003, to 586 in 2008, 399 in 2013 to 2021 when there were an estimated 265 children ages 0 - 3 with a blood lead level at or above 5 micrograms per deciliter (ug/dL).
In 2021, 14,006 children ages 0-36 months were screened, 171 fewer children than in 2020 when 14,177 children were screened, but up from 12,599 the year before. Of the number screened, approximately 1.9% tested positive for elevated blood lead levels, the same rate as 2020, but lower than previous years.
At a county level, in 2021, the counties with the highest rates of lead poisonings were: Waldo, (4.4%); Somerset, (2.8%); and Knox, (2.7%) of children ages 0-3 who were tested. Three counties in 2021 had less than 5 children with lead poisoning. These were: Franklin, Piscataquis and Sagadahoc.
Towns with high rate of screenings that were positive for lead poisoning from 2017-2021 included: Guilford (17.1%), Bingham (12.0), and Milo (11.1%) showing that it is not just housing in the most urban areas that present risks.
Definition and Source
PROVIDER
Definition
Children can be given a blood test to measure the level of lead in their blood. If a venous blood lead level is at or above 5 ug/dL it is an elevated blood lead indicative of lead poisoning. The estimated number of children with a blood lead level ≥5 ug/dL is the number with confirmed tests plus 38% of the children with unconfirmed 5-<10 ug/dL tests. The percent of lead poisoning reflects the number of children in the county ages 0-<36 months with elevated blood lead levels among the number screened.
Notes
The Maine data for the number of children with lead poisoning does not yet reflect the new federal guidance that a blood level of 3.5 μg/dL, not 5.0 μg/dL, requires treatment. FMI see: Federal CDC blood level reference value.
Last Updated
May 2023