Association between blood lead levels and socio-demographic factors among outpatient children in Ningbo, China

Lead exposure is a well-known health concern, affecting children worldwide. We aim to assess children’s blood lead levels (BLLs), and the association of risk factors with elevated BLL in children since the phase-out of leaded gasoline. We enrolled 8085 outpatient children to assess their blood lead levels, and the associations with social-demographic factors. Social-demographic information was obtained by using questionnaires. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were performed to explore the associations between social-demographic factors and elevated BLLs. The geometric mean BLL was 15.96 μg/L. The prevalence rates of elevated BLLs (≧ 100 μg/L and ≧ 50 μg/L) were 2.0