Low-level lead exposure is linked with higher odds of strep in children

Researchers including the University at Buffalo analyzed medical records from more than 13,000 children aged 14 or younger in Philadelphia's Temple University Health System from 2010 to 2020. Blood lead from routine screening at ages 12 and 24 months was linked with later diagnoses of strep throat or croup. Compared with levels below 1 microgram per deciliter, children at 1-3.4 had about 2.5 times the odds of a strep diagnosis; at or above the CDC public-health action reference of 3.5, odds were about 2.7 times higher. Higher lead also correlated with more repeated diagnoses, while no clear croup association appeared. This observational medical-record study cannot prove lead directly caused infection and may be influenced by housing, income, care access and other exposures. It nevertheless supports the view that no lead level is safe and that levels below current action thresholds may remain clinically relevant.