Lead poisoning: Low rates of screening and high prevalence among children seen in inner-city emergency departments

Abstract Of 254 children who were 1 to 6 years of age and were tested at two major inner- city emergency departments, 65% had no record of previous lead screening in the previous 30 months, and 71% (97/137) and 50% (58/117), respectively, had blood lead levels ≥0.48 μmol/L (10 μg/dl). The emergency department may be an appropriate resource for lead screening of selected inner-city children. (J PEDIATR 1995;126:392-5)