MMWR Vol. 65 / Early Release ► Blood Lead Levels Among Children Aged < 6 Years — Flint, Michigan, 2013–2016 | MMWR

Blood Lead Levels Among Children Aged <6 Years — Flint, Michigan, 2013–2016 | MMWR

MMWR Early Release Vol. 65, Early Release June 24, 2016 PDFBlood Lead Levels Among Children Aged <6 Years — Flint, Michigan, 2013–2016  Chinaro Kennedy, DrPH; Ellen Yard, PhD; Timothy Dignam, PhD; et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65(Early Release) During April 25, 2014–October 15, 2015, approximately 99,000 residents of Flint, Michigan, were affected by changes in drinking water quality after their water source was switched from the Detroit Water Authority (DWA), sourced from Lake Huron, to the Flint Water System (FWS), sourced from the Flint River. Studies conducted by local and national investigators detected an increase in the prevalence of blood lead levels (BLLs) ≥5 µg/dL (the CDC reference level) among children aged <5 years living in Flint and an increase in water lead levels after the water source switch. To assess the impact on BLLs of consuming contaminated drinking water, CDC examined the distribution of BLLs ≥5 µg/dL among children aged <6 years before, during, and after the switch in water source.