Community Indicator

Cuyahoga County Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels

- Every child is ready for school on the first day of Kindergarten
Strategic Priorities
  • Not Defined
    4.2 Align services to help residents live in healthy, lead-safe homes
    - Every child is ready for school on the first day of Kindergarten
About this measure

Lead poisoning is the most common chronic poisoning and environmental illness in the United States and can be defined as the elevation of lead levels in the body. This measure indicates the number and percentage of children tested for lead in Cuyahoga County who have a blood lead level of greater than or equal to five micrograms per deciliter.

Data are reported by the Cuyahoga County Office of Innovation and Performance on an annual basis.
Why is this important?

Increased levels of lead in children may cause damage to the brain and nervous system resulting in behavioral and learning problems, slowed growth, and hearing problems. Low-income families are often more likely to live in older homes with deteriorated lead paint. Lead poisoning is a preventable disease. Children's lead levels can be tracked through testing and educational assistance and remediation of homes can be provided to eliminate lead hazards, reducing the risk for future children residing in that home.
How are we making an impact?

This is a community indicator measure. It is provided to show an understanding of overall community health. The County government does not directly control the outcome of this measure; however, a number of programs and initiatives the County is undertaking can have an impact.  

Utilizing a state-funded, web-based system for tracking and enforcement, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health hopes to increase compliance. Future priorities for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health include increasing testing rates of children less than six years of age throughout Cuyahoga County and providing lead safe housing through various initiatives to continue to lower the rate of elevated blood lead levels in children in Cuyahoga County.
Additional Resources
Data Source

Cuyahoga County: Cuyahoga County Board of Health (Month of Update: August, 1-year lag) 

Comparative Analysis: Ohio Department of Health - Ohio Public Health Information Warehouse  (Month of Update: July, 1-year lag) The Ohio Public House Information Warehouse also serve as the preliminary data source for Cuyahoga County until final numbers are received from the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.
Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels - Annual Performance
Cuyahoga County Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels (by Year)*
Combination chart with 3 data series.
Bar and line chart shows children under 6 years old tested for blood lead levels, children under 6 years old with confirmed elevated blood lead levels, and the percentage of children under 6 years old with confirmed elevated blood lead levels in Cuyahoga County by calendar year. See data table for details.
The chart has 1 X axis displaying categories.
The chart has 2 Y axes displaying values and values.
End of interactive chart.
Community Indicator
Children Tested - Comparative Analysis
Comparative Analysis: Children Tested for Blood Lead Levels
Children Tested (Comparative Analysis)
Bar chart with 6 data series.
Bar chart showing the number of children under 6 years old who were tested for blood lead levels in comparative counties in 2019. Cuyahoga: 22,152 Franklin: 23,381 Montgomery: 8,367 Hamilton: 17,154 Lucas: 6,200 Summit: 7,973
The chart has 1 X axis displaying categories.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying values. Range: 0 to 30000.
End of interactive chart.
Community Indicator
Number of Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels - Comparative Analysis
Comparative Analysis: Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels
Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels (Comparative Analysis)
Bar chart with 6 data series.
Bar chart showing the number of children under 6 years old with confirmed elevated blood lead levels in comparative counties in 2019. Cuyahoga: 1,312 Franklin: 183 Montgomery: 116 Hamilton: 357 Lucas: 218 Summit: 124
The chart has 1 X axis displaying categories.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying values. Range: 0 to 2000.
End of interactive chart.
Community Indicator
Percent of Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels - Comparative Analysis
Comparative Analysis: Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels
Percent of Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels (Comparative Analysis)
Bar chart with 6 data series.
Bar chart shows the percentage of children under 6 years old with confirmed elevated blood lead levels in comparative counties in 2019. Cuyahoga: 5.92% Franklin: 0.78% Montgomery: 1.39% Hamilton: 2.08% Lucas: 3.52% Summit: 1.56%
The chart has 1 X axis displaying categories.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying values. Range: 0 to 10.
End of interactive chart.
Measure Data
Last Calculated 2 days ago
Period Status Children Tested for Elevated Blood Lead Levels Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels % of Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels
2015 Not Defined
2016 Community Indicator 22,836.00 1,883 8.25%
2017 Community Indicator 23,315.00 1,964 8.42%
2018 Community Indicator 22,725.00 1,512 6.65%
2019 Community Indicator 22,152.00 1,312 5.92%
2020 Community Indicator 16,282.00 951 5.84%
2021 Not Defined