Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Jul;117(7):1162-7.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.0800408. Epub 2009 Mar 31.

Childhood lead poisoning: conservative estimates of the social and economic benefits of lead hazard control

Elise Gould  1
Affiliations

Childhood lead poisoning: conservative estimates of the social and economic benefits of lead hazard control

Elise Gould. Environ Health Perspect. 2009 Jul.

Abstract

Background: This study is a cost-benefit analysis that quantifies the social and economic benefits to household lead paint hazard control compared with the investments needed to minimize exposure to these hazards.

Objectives: This research updates estimates of elevated blood lead levels among a cohort of children < or = 6 years of age and compiles recent research to determine a range of the costs of lead paint hazard control ($1-$11 billion) and the benefits of reduction attributed to each cohort for health care ($11-$53 billion), lifetime earnings ($165-$233 billion), tax revenue ($25-$35 billion), special education ($30-$146 million), attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder ($267 million), and the direct costs of crime ($1.7 billion).

Results: Each dollar invested in lead paint hazard control results in a return of $17-$221 or a net savings of $181-269 billion.

Conclusions: There are substantial returns to investing in lead hazard control, particularly targeted at early intervention in communities most likely at risk. Given the high societal costs of inaction, lead hazard control appears to be well worth the price.

Keywords: cost-benefit; economics; housing; lead poisoning.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Bellinger DC. Neurological and behavioral consequences of childhood lead exposure. PLoS Med. 2008a;5:e115. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bellinger DC. Very low lead exposures and children’s neurodevelopment. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2008b;20:172–177. - PubMed
    1. Bellinger DC, Leviton AE, Rabinowitz M. Pre- and post-natal lead exposure and behavior problems in school age children. Environ Res. 1994;66:12–30. - PubMed
    1. Bernard SM. Should the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s childhood lead poisoning intervention level be lowered. Am J Public Health. 2003;93:1253–1260. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Binns HJ, Campbell C, Brown MJ. Interpreting and managing blood lead levels of less than 10 μg/dL in children and reducing childhood exposure to lead: Recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention. Pediatrics. 2007;120(5):e1285–e1298. - PubMed

Publication types