Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Children and Pregnant Women: Screening

Recommendations made by the USPSTF are independent of the U.S. government. They should not be construed as an official position of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The USPSTF recognizes the importance of screening and testing for blood lead levels in children and pregnant persons. However, the USPSTF does not wish to duplicate the investment of resources made by others to review the evidence on this topic and make recommendations. The USPSTF therefore will not update its 2019 recommendation.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention (ACCLPP) has made recommendations on screening and testing for lead levels in children (1). The CDC has also made recommendations on screening for lead levels in pregnant persons (2). The methods used by the CDC and the ACCLPP to review evidence on screening and testing may differ from the methods used by the USPSTF. The CDC’s recommendations on screening and testing for elevated lead levels in children and pregnant persons are available at https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/resources/guidelines.html.

  1. Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention. Low Level Lead Exposure Harms Children: A Renewed Call for Primary Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2012. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/docs/final_document_030712.pdf
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guidelines for the Identification and Management of Lead Exposure in Pregnant and Lactating Women. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2010. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/docs/publications/leadandpregnancy2010.pdf