December 12th, 2018
These guidelines were prepared to help new lead epidemiologists quickly learn how to use geographic information systems (GIS) mapping technology to assess and direct childhood lead poisoning elimination efforts.
Eliminating elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) >10 micrograms per deciliter (μg/dL) or higher among young children is a Healthy People 2010 goal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch (LPPB) is committed to attaining that goal. The adverse health effects of lead and the sources of lead are well documented. Lead-based house paint and the dust and soil it contaminates are the most common high-dose sources of lead exposure for young children in the United States today.
The challenge for public health practitioners and policy makers is to prevent childhood lead poisoning, not just react to it (1). GIS technology is a powerful tool that can be used to effectively target lead poisoning preventive interventions. The addresses of old housing units can be geocoded (geographically located) to identify areas where children at risk for lead poisoning live. Interventions can then be directed to those areas and specifi c properties to address lead hazards.
These guidelines will focus on mapping applications, although GIS also can be used for statistical modeling to predict risk for lead exposure (2). Examples are provided of how GIS mapping technology can use blood lead screening, tax assessor (property), and U.S. census data to develop and improve preventive interventions, especially primary prevention (before children are poisoned).