Presence and concentration of lead in keys and keyring items.

Objectives: Environmental lead is a persistent hazard that disproportionately affects children. Keys are known sources of lead exposure in children, but little is known about the specific lead content or frequency of lead in keys. We identified differences in lead concentration and frequency across items with different physical characteristics.

Tackling the Lead Gremlins: A Response to Take-Home Lead Exposure in a Minnesota Industrial Facility, 2019.

Lead exposure that occurs from contamination inadvertently brought home from a workplace is known as take-home exposure. Take-home exposures are a public health hazard that adversely affects health equity for families and communities. This article describes coordinated action by agencies in Minnesota to curb lead exposure among children of workers at a facility that produces fishing sinkers and battery terminals.

Screening for Elevated Blood Lead Levels: False-Positive Rates of Tests on Capillary Samples, Minnesota, 2011-2017.

Context: A typical strategy for identifying children with elevated blood lead levels (BLL) is to use a test on a capillary sample as a screening tool and then perform a confirmatory test on a venous sample following an elevated capillary screen. However, tests on capillary samples are prone to false-positive results, which affect surveillance estimates of the prevalence of elevated BLL.

Objective: We sought to measure the prevalence and risk of false-positive results in elevated tests on capillary samples based on various potential predictors.