Change in childhood lead exposure prevalence with new reference level.

In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed the "actionable" reference blood lead level from 10 µg/dL to 5 µg/dL, representing the highest 2.5 percentile of lead levels nationwide. In a high-risk urban community, the prevalence of children classified as lead exposed increased ninefold, from 1% to 9.1% (p < .0001) with the new reference level. This dramatic increase in the prevalence of children newly classified as lead exposed will require additional health care and public health resources for tracking, surveillance, and home lead abatement.