Tool for State and Local Health Departments: Identify High-Risk ZIP Codes for Childhood Lead Exposure

predicted mean of log normalized BLLs in North Carolina

The Children’s Environmental Health Initiative (CEHI) partnered with the North Carolina Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (NCCLPP) to develop a tool that allows health departments to know which ZIP codes present the greatest risks for housing-based lead exposure and prioritize those areas for testing. Our model helps entities like the NCCLPP better use resources and engage with health care providers, community groups, and families in high-risk areas.

Any health department with access to childhood blood lead testing data and US Census data can adapt this model to their needs. In the attached technical appendix, we walk through the steps required to build the high-risk ZIP code model – see also Callender et al., 2024.

 

Technical Appendix