Do newspapers lead with lead? A content analysis of how lead health risks to children are covered.

Lead posts a serious environmental health, risk to young children causing such irreversible health effects as mental retardation stunted growth, and hearing and visual impairment. Studies suggest that various sectors of the public, including children's caregivers are not sufficiently concerned about this risk or knowledgeable about ways of minimizing it. Because newspapers are one of the primary ways members of the public learn about risks, the authors examined the characteristics and and content of 152 newspaper articles on lead to determine when coverage occurred and what information was provided. Results revealed that newspapers most often covered lead as a local news story. Few articles identified children under six years of age as the most vulnerable group or provided important information on health effects, sources of exposure, or abatement methods. The authors' recommendations focus on helping environmental health professionals work with newspaper journalists to improve the information available to the public.