Tests found more than a thousand children in Connecticut had elevated lead in their blood — enough to be considered lead poisoning, according to a new report from the state based on tests in 2020.
The annual report found about the same rates of lead poisoning among children under 6 compared to 2019. But officials said 2020 was complicated by a sharp decline in testing as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Lead poisoning rates in Connecticut have been falling fairly consistently since 2016.
The report found kids in cities are most at risk. Five cities — New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury, Hartford and Meriden — made up about half of all cases. And children of color are disproportionately likely to be at risk from lead poisoning.
Most lead poisoning comes from paint in homes built before 1978, when the federal government banned lead-based paint.
