Racial Segregation Linked to Higher Blood Lead Levels in Children 6 and Younger

Racial segregation—still common in the United States today—has been linked to mortality, poor pregnancy outcomes, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and poor cardiovascular health. A new study, “Segregation and Childhood Blood Lead Levels in North Carolina,” in the September 2023 Pediatrics (available online August 30), found that racial isolation is also linked to higher levels of lead in blood among young Black children in segregated communities. Researchers studied records from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services for 320,916 children, ages 6 and younger, who were tested between 1992-1996 or 2013-2015. Blood lead levels were georeferenced to census tracts to compare lead levels with racial residential segregation of non-Hispanic Blacks. The study found that children living in more segregated areas have higher blood lead levels. They also found that racial segregation was fairly stable during the study period 1990-2015—38.7% of communities did not change in terms of racial isolation. Of the rest of the state, 30.5% of communities exhibited decreasing levels of racial isolation among Blacks, and 30.7% of communities exhibited increasing levels of racial isolation among Blacks. Study authors concluded racially isolated neighborhoods are associated with higher childhood lead levels, demonstrating the disproportionate environmental burdens borne by segregated communities and the need for attention from the health care community. 

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.