Hauptman M, Niles JK, Gudin J, et al. - According to the findings of this cross-sectional, retrospective study, despite progress in reducing pediatric lead exposure, substantial individual- and community-level disparities persist.

• The sample consisted of 1,141,441 children (586,703 boys [51.4%]; mean [SD] age, 2.3 [1.4] years).

• It was noted that more than half of the children tested (576,092 [50.5%; 95% CI, 50.4%-50.6%]) had detectable BLLs, and 21,172 children had blood lead levels (BLLs) of 5.0 μg/dL or more.

• Children with public insurance had a higher likelihood of having detectable BLLs and elevated BLLs in multivariable analyses.

• For progressive pre-1950s housing and poverty quintiles, the proportion of children with detectable and elevated BLLs climbed significantly.

• Children in the highest vs lowest quintile of pre-1950s housing and of poverty had significantly higher odds of having detectable BLLs.

• An adjusted odds ratio of 3.06 for the highest vs lowest quintile of pre-1950 housing and 1.99 for the highest quintile of poverty was reported for those with elevated BLLs.

• Children living in zip codes with a majority of Black, non-Hispanic, and non-Latinx people had a higher likelihood of having detectable BLLs but a lower likelihood of having elevated BLLs.