Lead poisoning in Detroit public school students linked to lower test scores

Excerpt from: The DD News Blog (click for full article)

 

n article in the Detroit Free Press, "High lead poisoning linked to lower test scores in DPS" by Keith Matheny from 2/25/13, reports on research that matches blood test results for lead in 21,000 Detroit Public School students with those students' elementary and middle school standardized test scores:

"Children with lead at 2 to 5 micrograms per deciliter in their blood -- equal to or below stricter levels of concern set by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year -- had a 33% higher likelihood of poor academic performance, said Harolyn Baker, a coauthor of the study and director of epidemiology at the nonprofit Michigan Healthcare Quality Improvement Organization.

"Students with blood lead levels greater than 5 micrograms per deciliter have a 50% chance of doing poorly on MEAP [Michigan Educational Assessment Program] tests, the study found."