Blood lead levels by birth year

Children with elevated blood lead levels in Minnesota:

• By birth year
• By region
• By EBLL category

Indicators on this page track elevated blood lead levels by birth year (cohort method) and include blood lead tests up to 3 years of age.

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. Until recently, lead testing was not universal in Minnesota. In the data shown below, children with risk factors for lead exposure were targeted for testing. 

This chart shows the trend over time in children above the historic reference level of 10 mcg/dL as well as those above the recent reference level of 5 mcg/dL. The reference level was lowered in 2011 to identify children with levels much higher than most children. Going forward, the reference level was again lowered in 2023 to 3.5 mcg/dL in Minnesota.

The most recent birth cohort to have been observed for a full three years is children born in 2018. In Minnesota in recent years, 1% of children (about 7 of every 1,000 children) had an elevated blood lead level among those that were tested by 3 years of age.

The percent of children tested who had an elevated blood lead level over the historic reference level of 10 mcg/dL decreased by about 80% between children born in 2000 and those born in 2009. The percent of children with a blood lead level over the recent reference level of 5 mcg/dL decreased slightly from 1.2% of children born in 2008 and 0.8% of those born in 2018.

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. MDH historically recommended that children living within the city limits of Minneapolis or St. Paul receive blood lead testing at 1 and 2 years of age. Among children born in recent years, between 1-2% of children in Minneapolis or St. Paul (or 14 of every 1,000 children) had an EBLL, which is much higher than any other region of the state or the statewide average. 
• The Metro trend line represents children living in the 7-county Twin Cities metropolitan area except for the cities of Minneapolis or St. Paul. Children in this region have less than half a percent (0.3%) of children with an EBLL (or about 3 of every 1,000 children), among children born in recent years. 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 Minnesota trend line represents children living in Minnesota outside of the metro. About 1 percent of children born in recent years and living in greater Minnesota at the time of their blood lead test have an EBLL (or about 8 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 the 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 children with EBLLs greater than 5 mcg/dL has been around 1% of those tested in each birth year, since the 2008 birth year. The percent of children with EBLLs greater than 10 mcg/dL has declined over time, both statewide and in the regions displayed.

This chart shows the number of children with an elevated blood lead level, for each category, among children tested prior to 3 years. Since the reference level lowered to 5 mcg/dL in 2011, children with levels 5-9 mcg/dL are only displayed starting with the 2008 birth 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.

Among children born in 2018, there were 356 children tested before 3 years of age that had an elevated blood lead level.

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

• Annual blood lead testing
• Annual blood lead levels
• Blood lead testing 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.