Lead Hazard Indicators

POLLUTION LOCATOR|Lead Hazard Indicators

Scorecard reports on lead hazards use a variety of indicators of potential lead exposure. In the absence of local data on blood lead levels in children, these indicators are generally considered by scientists and regulators to be useful for identifying potential problem areas. For comparative purposes, percentage may be a more appropriate indicator than number.

HIGH RISK
The presence of both of the two risk factors linked to elevated blood lead levels in children; i.e., for the same household, both a housing unit built before 1950, and low income residents.

NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS WITH HIGH RISK OF LEAD HAZARDS
This indicator provides a measure of the amount of housing units built before 1950 that are occupied by a low income family in an area.

PERCENT OF HOUSING UNITS WITH HIGH RISK OF LEAD HAZARDS
This indicator estimates the percent of housing units in an area with a high risk of lead hazards. It is calculated by dividing the number of housing units with high risk of lead hazards by the total number of occupied housing units.

NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS BUILT BEFORE 1950
The number of occupied housing units where construction was completed before 1950. Note: no indicator is presented for percent of housing units built before 1950.

NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS WITH LOW INCOME RESIDENTS
An estimate of the number of housing units occupied by a household living below the poverty level. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that children in low-income households were eight times as likely to be lead poisoned as children in high-income families.

PERCENTAGE OF HOUSING UNITS WITH LOW INCOME RESIDENTS
An estimate of the percent of housing units occupied by a household living below the poverty level.

CHILDREN UNDER AGE 5 LIVING IN POVERTY
An estimate of the number of children under age five who are in families with incomes below 129% of the poverty level. According to the most recent national blood lead data, children in low-income familes are eight times as likely to be lead poisoned as children in high-income families. A household was defined as poor by NHANES if its income was less than or equal to 130% of the relevant poverty level. This indicator shows the acute risk of lead poisoning according to where low income young children are present, since they are at greatest risk of harmful health consequences from exposure to lead.

PERCENT OF CHILDREN UNDER AGE 5 LIVING IN POVERTY
The percent of children under age 5 who are in families with incomes below 129% of the poverty level.