Lead
Human Health Risk
Ecological Risk
Socioeconomic Risk
H
M
H
Lead is a naturally occurring metal used in a range of industrial and commercial applications. Two uses of lead, which have since been banned, have contributed to widespread
environmental contamination: leaded gasoline and leaded paint. Small amounts of lead
continue to be emitted in diesel exhaust, and the majority of ongoing industrial emissions
are attributed to steel and iron works. Coal burning power plants also emit lead. In New
Jersey, human health effects arise through exposure to historic concentrations of lead in the
paint of older homes, and in the soils adjacent to roadways and lead-painted structures.
These can range from neurological effects, such as a learning deficit, to anemia and lifethreatening encephalopathy at higher exposures. There may also be a link between long
term exposure and hypertension in adults. Lead accumulates in soils, surface waters, and
sediments presenting a toxic hazard to fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
What’s at risk?
serious problem because of the irreversible
reproductive and developmental effects. Limited
sampling in New Jersey suggests that sediments in
urban areas may contain lead at more than three
times the ecological health benchmark. Lead levels
in surface waters and sediments adjacent to contaminated sites have been sampled at extremely
high levels—more than 200 times the benchmark.
It is difficult to characterize the risks absent sufficient monitoring.
What are the human health impacts in New
Jersey?
What are the socioeconomic impacts in
New Jersey?
There are no requirements for testing the general
population for lead exposure, but New Jersey
requires testing of children under 7. The Centers
for Disease Control considers child blood lead
levels more than 10 micrograms per deciliter of
blood to be elevated, and children with levels more
than 20 ug/dl are considered lead poisoned. In
1999, there were a total of 802 cases of lead
poisoning in children under 7 in New Jersey.
Preliminary data for 2000 indicates 4% of children
tested had elevated blood lead levels. Since 1993,
New Jersey has documented more than 15,000
cases of lead poisoning in children.
Based on national estimates, lead-related medical
costs in New Jersey may reach $774 million
annually. There are additional costs associated with
lead abatement (removal of lead paint hazard in
older homes) increasing the total economic cost.
Urban parents and residents in older housing may
suffer a moderate amount of worry regarding the
risks from lead paint. Environmental justice activists
have criticized the pace of lead removal from
housing in minority areas.
What are the ecological impacts in New
Jersey?
Birds and mammals are at risk, due to
bioaccumulation of lead up the food chain. While
lead can cause death, chronic exposure is the more
What’s being done?
Phasing out leaded gasoline has drastically reduced
lead emissions to the air. Regulations restrict the
amount of lead in air, drinking water, and consumer products. Laws also govern the cleanup of
contaminated sites. Public health education, along
with statewide pediatric screening, has also contributed to reductions in blood lead levels.
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Final Report of the New Jersey State Comparative Risk Project
STRESSOR SUMMARIES
Lead’s environmental pervasiveness means that
exposure of people and wildlife occurs statewide.
Children are far more likely than adults to ingest
contaminated soil or peeling paint; their bodies
absorb it more efficiently, and their developing
nervous systems are more sensitive to its effects.
Although contamination is often greatest in urban/
suburban regions, elevated lead levels are found in
soils, sediments, and surface waters statewide.