Key points
Lead Exposure Risk
Lead exposure remains a problem in the United States, and areas where people are at highest risk of lead exposure are dispersed throughout the country. There is no safe level of lead exposure, and no safe blood lead level in children has been identified. Children can be exposed to lead as a consequence of deteriorated or disturbed lead-containing paint in older homes, from soil that has been contaminated by lead-based paint, from leaded gasoline depositions, or from emissions from lead industries and mines. Certain occupations and hobbies, as well as some imported traditional remedies and cosmetics, can also pose a risk. Several factors, including age of housing, poverty, and race/ethnicity in a community may increase the likelihood of being exposed to housing and environmental sources of lead.
Lead Exposure Risk Index
The Lead Exposure Risk Index (LERI) is a tool that uses U.S. census data and other data sources to determine the relative lead exposure risk for nearly every census tract. Census tracts are subdivisions of counties for which the census collects statistical data. The LERI ranks the tracts on seven factors, including sociodemographic and housing estimates, geographic designations, National Air Toxics Assessments (NATA) data, and U.S. Geological Survey soil data. Each tract receives an overall national ranking and a state-specific ranking.
CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program partnered with ATSDR's Geospatial Research, Analysis & Services Program to create a tool to help public health officials, healthcare providers, and the public identify and map community risk for lead exposure.
How can the LERI help prioritize lead sites for action?
The LERI allows public health officials, healthcare providers, and the public to better understand the risk for lead exposure in their communities. The LERI mapping tool helps focus interventions in priority communities to reduce environmental and housing-related lead exposure in children. The LERI is flexible and may be updated when new data are available.
The LERI can be used to:
- Identify hotspots for potential lead exposure.
- Help prioritize where to focus blood lead screening, outreach, and community interventions.
- Quickly view and obtain lead exposure risk for areas of interest.
- Foster research and be a foundation for studies.