Nearly half a million children living in the United States have elevated blood lead levels that may cause significant damage to their health, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Major sources of lead exposure to U.S. children include lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust in deteriorating buildings. Children can also be exposed to lead from contaminated drinking water, take-home exposures from a workplace, lead in soil, and other sources.

Lead poisoning can severely affect mental and physical development. At very high levels, lead poisoning can cause death.

Despite the continued presence of lead in the environment, lead poisoning is entirely preventable. In Iowa, the prevalence of lead poisoning among children younger than age six years is 7 percent. This is more than four times the national average of 1.6 percent.