Lead poisoning might be a problem that runs much deeper than expected in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, affecting tens of thousands more children than previously expected, organizers of the Lead-Safe Living rally told a crowd in front of the county administration building on July 19, 2006.

Based on current standards set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, some 5,074 children in Cleveland and 1,000 more in the county are estimated to be lead-poisoned. But, a consortium of health groups want the CDC to adjust the measurement – cutting in half the amount of lead that needs to be detected to 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood (from 10).

Based on new research, the American Public Health Association and others propose lowering the threshold below 10 ug/dl, reports Environmental Health Watch. Between 1960 and 1990 CDC lowered the criterion 4 times as evidence of lead's damage at lower levels accumulated. During that period, the percentage of Cleveland children with lead poisoning has dropped from nearly 80 percent to today’s average of around 11 percent.

If the CDC were to adjust the standards to make testing more sensitive to lead, it’s estimated that 19,533 Cleveland children would show up positive for lead and another 5,000 in the county would test positive. The CDC is resisting the change, although it has admitted damage can be caused by lead at levels below the current threshold.

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