Rural and Urban Ecologies of Early Childhood Toxic Lead Exposure: The State of Kansas, 2005 to 2012

INTRODUCTION: No safe detectable level of lead (Pb) exists in the blood of children. Until recently, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines designated a blood lead level (BLL) ≥ 5 μg/dL as an elevated BLL (EBLL). For the State of Kansas, early childhood blood lead burdens lack reporting in the literature. METHODS: Secondary analysis was conducted of passively reported EBLL rates ≥ 5 μg/dL among children ages 0 – 5 years at the zip code-level in Kansas during 2005 to 2012. Data weights using corresponding population estimates were applied to produce statewide outcomes. RESULTS: Statewide estimates of annual testing coverage in Kansas among children ages 0 – 5 years were low (9.7%). Approximately 17,000 children ages 0 – 5 years developed an EBLL ≥ 5 μg/dL each year in Kansas with a 6.9% statewide EBLL rate compared to the national rate of 3.2% for the corresponding years. Significant variations in EBLL rates were found between suburban zip codes compared to urban, urban cluster, or rural at 3.1%, 7.2%, 8.8%, and 10.0%, respectively. Among the worst outcomes in EBLL rates was observed for zip codes in southeast Kansas (13.5%) and rural areas with < 500 persons (15.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Young children in Kansas had twice the risk of developing an EBLL ≥ 5 μg/dL compared to the national rate, while higher rates consistently were seen outside of the suburbs and particularly in more rural and less populated areas. At-risk children and troubled areas of toxic lead exposure in the State of Kansas require increased recognition with improved targeting and interventions.