File photo
File photo
A nationwide study has revealed on Wednesday that most children in Iowa under the age of 6 have traceable levels of lead in their blood.
The study revealed that 76% of children in Iowa had detectable levels of lead in their blood. No blood lead level in children has ever been deemed 'safe' by the CDC, according to Axios.
"The majority of Iowa children under 6 had lead in their blood. We need to do better," said a Twitter user identified as Dr. Sed in a tweet on Wednesday.
Iowa's blood lead levels were ranked fourth-worst in the country, only being passed by Michigan, Missouri, and Nebraska, with a national average of about 51% of children, according to Axios.
The study explained that the main cause for blood lead levels in Iowa is older housing, where children in pre-1950's houses had significantly higher levels of lead in their blood due to the presence of lead paint, according to KHAK. Even though lead-based paints were banned in 1978 by the federal government, many old, cheaper homes still have their original paint jobs.
Despite the fact that the state of Iowa requires blood lead testing for all kindergartners since 2008, only 23% of kindergartners in the state were tested in 2020, according to KHAK.
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