Lead Data and Reports

Screening children for blood lead levels ensures that poisoned children are identified for treatment and allows for intervention to prevent further exposure.  State law, WAC 246-101, requires that clinical laboratories must report the results of all blood lead tests done on Washington residents to the Department of Health.

The Childhood Blood Lead Registry at the Department of Health maintains a record of all blood lead tests performed on Washington children since May 1993.  Only about five percent of Washington children 0-14 years of age are ever tested for lead.  About one percent of the children tested between 2001 and 2006 were found to have elevated blood lead levels. 

• These data are from the Washington State childhood blood lead registry for children age 0 until their 16th birthday.

• These data are not necessarily representative of all children in the state.  We estimate that only a very small percent of children in Washington ever have a blood lead test.

• The number of children tested and the number of children elevated is very small in many counties.  These numbers are subject to random variation, and may not be reliable estimates of conditions in that county.

• The data are tabulated by the county of the health care provider.  For most children, we do not know their address.

• These data include blood lead tests reported and entered into the registry as of October 20, 2008.