RT Journal
A1 Muennig P
T1 THe social costs of childhood lead exposure in the post–lead regulation era
JF Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
JO Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
YR 2009
FD September 7
VO 163
IS 9
SP 844
OP 849
DO 10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.128
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.128
AB Objective 
    To estimate the benefits that might be realized if all children in the United States had a blood lead level of less than 1 μg/dL.Design 
    Data were obtained from published and electronic sources. A Markov model was used to project lifetime earnings, reduced crime costs, improvements in health, and reduced welfare costs using 2 scenarios: (1) maintaining the status quo and (2) reducing the blood lead level of all children to less than 1 μg/dL.Participants 
    The cohort of US children between birth and age 6 years in 2008, with economic and health outcomes projected for 65 years.Interventions 
    Increased primary prevention efforts aimed at reducing lead exposure among children and pregnant women.Main Outcome Measures 
    Societal costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained.Results 
    Reducing blood lead levels to less than 1 μg/dL among all US children between birth and age 6 years would reduce crime and increase on-time high school graduation rates later in life. The net societal benefits arising from these improvements in high school graduation rates and reductions in crime would amount to $50 000 (SD, $14 000) per child annually at a discount rate of 3%. This would result in overall savings of approximately $1.2 trillion (SD, $341 billion) and produce an additional 4.8 million QALYs (SD, 2 million QALYs) for US society as a whole.Conclusion 
    More aggressive programs aimed at reducing childhood lead exposure may produce large social benefits.