Annual elevated blood lead levels

Children with elevated blood lead levels in Minnesota:

• By test year
• By region
• By EBLL category

Indicators on this page use the year that the blood lead test was performed (annual method) and include any blood lead test that occurred that year for children up to 6 years of age, unless noted otherwise. Children could appear in multiple test years.

Children should be tested for lead

There is no safe level of lead. It is important to test for elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs) because lead exposure often occurs with no identifiable symptoms. Lead testing was not universal in Minnesota until recently. In the data shown here, lead testing was targeted fo children with risk factors for lead exposure. The Childhood Blood Lead Screening Guidelines for Minnesota were updated in 2022 to recommend universal screening for all children at 12 and 24 months of age. 

This chart shows the trend over time in children above the historic reference level of 10 mcg/dL as well as those more recently above the reference level of 5 mcg/dL. The reference level was lowered in 2011 to identify children with levels much higher than most children. CDC updated their reference value from 5.0 mcg/dL to 3.5 mcg/dL in 2021. The Minnesota legislature adoped this change in 2023. For the data shown here, the reference value was 5.0 mcg/dL. 

In 2021, about 7 out of 1,000 children tested under 6 years of age had an elevated blood lead level (0.7% of children tested). This number has been decreasing over the past decade. However, there are some populations and areas in Minnesota that have a much higher proportion with elevated blood lead levels than others.

These charts show the percent of children with an elevated blood lead level in Minnesota, both statewide and for 3 different regions within the state.

• The Minneapolis/St. Paul trend line represents children at a higher risk for lead exposure and MDH historically recommended that children living within the city limits of Minneapolis or St. Paul were at higher risk for lead exposure and were to receive blood lead testing at 1 and 2 years of age. In recent years, between 1-2% of children in Minneapolis or St. Paul (about 16 of every 1,000 children) had an EBLL, which is double the statewide average and higher than any other region of Minnesota.
• The Metro trend line represents children living in the 7-county Twin Cities metropolitan area except the cities of Minneapolis or St. Paul. In recent years, this region had less than half a percent of children with an EBLL (about 3 of every 1,000 children). Children living in the Metro area but not living in the cities of Minneapolis or St. Paul are at a lower risk of lead exposure. 
• The Greater MN trend line represents children living in Minnesota outside of the metro. In recent years, less than a percent of children living in greater Minnesota had an EBLL (about 7 of every 1,000 children). Children in Greater Minnesota have similar risk of lead exposure as the statewide average.

The “5+ Chart” shows the trend in the percent of children above Minnesota's recent reference level of 5 mcg/dL. The “10+ Chart” shows the trend in the percent of children above the historic reference level of 10 mcg/dL. The percent of tested children with EBLLs greater than 5 mcg/dL has been about 1% since the new reference level was established in 2011. The percent of tested children with EBLLs greater than 10 mcg/dL has declined over time, both statewide and in the regions displayed. The Minnesota legislature adopted the change in reference level to 3.5 mcg/dL in 2023, but that is not yet reflected in the data shown here. 

This chart shows the annual number of children with an elevated blood lead level, for each category, among children tested prior to 6 years. Since the reference level lowered to 5 mcg/dL in 2011, children with levels 5-9 mcg/dL are only displayed starting in that test year.

The number of children with those higher blood lead levels has generally declined over time. However, there is no safe level of lead. Though very few children test in the highest ranges of blood lead levels, these levels are associated with additional and more extreme health effects, such as extreme problems with brain function called encephalopathy, severe neurological damage, coma, and even death.

In 2021, there were 556 children tested under 6 years of age in Minnesota with an elevated blood lead level above 5 mcg/dL.

To see other tables and figures on childhood lead exposure, see:

• Annual blood lead testing
• Blood lead testing by birth year
• Blood lead levels by birth year
• Risk factors (housing age and poverty)
• Childhood lead exposure by county (map)
• Childhood lead exposure by census tract (map)
• Health inequities in childhood lead exposure

Last updated June 2023.