The study, published Monday, found kids in Newark were almost three times as likely to have dangerously elevated blood lead levels as their peers across the state.
NEWARK -- For the second time this year, concerns have been raised about children's exposure to lead in the state's largest city - this time thanks to a national study indicating high blood lead levels in Newark kids.
According to statistics gathered by Quest Diagnostics researchers, elevated levels of lead were found in the blood of Newark children at a rate that's about three times higher than that of the state overall.
According to the data - which studied blood lead levels in thousands of children under 6 years old over a six-year period beginning in May 2009 - about 2.74 percent of children in New Jersey showed blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter, the threshold blood lead level the Centers for Disease Control considers unsafe for children. In the three-digit zip code area in and around Newark, 5.23 percent of children were found to have the elevated blood level.
About 1.17 percent of children in Newark were found to have blood lead levels above 10 micrograms per deciliter, an amount researchers said is considered "very high." Only about 0.44 percent of children statewide were found to have blood lead levels above 10 mcg/dL, researchers said.
Elevated blood lead levels in children have been linked to developmental, behavioral, and other disorders.
Despite a lead crisis in Flint, Mich. that reignited a national conversation on existing lead hazards, "it's not top of mind," said Dr. Harvey Kaufman, one of the co-authors of the study, "Blood Lead Levels in Young Children: US, 2009-2015," which was published in the Journal of Pediatrics Monday.
"We have made progress, but (this study shows) there is still more to go."
The study, which is believed to be the largest analysis of blood lead level test results in children in the United States, examined 5,266,408 samples taken from kids in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., researchers said. Nationwide, the percentage of children found to have elevated levels was about 2.95 percent, higher than the overall rate in New Jersey.
Regions in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, were found to have the highest concentrated rates in the country, with more than 14 percent of children with elevated BLLs. Though New Jersey overall was identified as low, compared to other states that reported percentages as high as 10.28 (which was found in Minnesota), Kaufman said the rates found in Newark were cause for "concern."
The city has been grappling with the fallout of revelations earlier this year that more than 30 public school buildings had elevated levels of lead in their water fountains and faucets. District officials have been working to remediate the issue, which they said was caused by aging pipe and solder infrastructure, since March.
A school district spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment on the study Tuesday.
Officials, doctors and researchers have said that though no amount of lead exposure is good for children, the amounts present in lead paint - which is still present in many homes and apartment buildings constructed before 1978 - are much higher than those found in other sources of lead, like water and soil.
Schools' water issue dates back at least 4 years
Still, Kaufman said the study should act as a warning to parents, who can have their homes tested for lead, pediatricians, who he said should test at-risk populations for elevated blood lead levels, and policy makers, who can work to eliminate exposure.
City officials said Tuesday that the results of the study were not a surprise.
"This report tells us what we already know: Newark and most major cities have serious lead problems," Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement to NJ Advance Media.
"The problem in Newark comes mostly from lead paint in old buildings. The cost of lead remediation and protecting our children is far beyond what cities can afford on our own. Together with the Essex County state legislative delegation and our federal representatives, we continue to fight for the funding we need to safeguard our children."
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.