--- description: Children in Flint were significantly more likely to have elevated levels of lead in their blood following the city's water provider switch title: Children's Blood Lead Levels Higher in Flint, CDC Says image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt737c7186c6e0f22a/6988996da988ca9dcc6b8611/child-lead-flint-water.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Public Health](/tag/public-health/) ## Public Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Children's Blood Lead Levels Higher in Flint, CDC Says  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Jun 24, 2016 4:37 PM CUT  Registered nurse Brian Jones draws a blood sample from a student tested for lead at Eisenhower Elementary School in Flint, Mich., on Jan. 26, 2016. Registered nurse Brian Jones draws a blood sample from a student tested for lead at Eisenhower Elementary School in Flint, Mich., on Jan. 26, 2016.Carlos Osorio—AP  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Jun 24, 2016 4:37 PM CUT Children under the age of six in Flint, Michigan, were significantly more likely to have elevated levels of lead in their blood following the city’s 2014 [switch in water providers](http://time.com/4185596/flint-obama-mayor-water-lead/ "undefined"), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a [report](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6525e1.htm?s%5Fcid=mm6525e1%5Fw "undefined"). The findings—pulled from an analysis of more than 9,000 blood lead tests conducted over three years—help quantify the scale of a [public health crisis](http://time.com/4191864/flint-water-crisis-lead-contaminated-michigan/ "undefined") in the Michigan city. Children under six were about 50% more likely to have elevated levels of lead in their blood after the city began to source its water from the Flint River. Health authorities do not consider any level of lead in the blood to be safe, but levels higher than 5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood raises particularly strong alarm. Blood lead levels have declined since the city switched its water source back to the Detroit Water System following public outcry over the situation. The CDC [still recommends](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6525e1.htm?s%5Fcid=mm6525e1%5Fw "undefined") children under six in the city have their blood tested for high levels of lead. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4381647/flint-water-crisis-lead-cdc/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4381647/flint-water-crisis-lead-cdc/"},"headline":"Children's Blood Lead Levels Higher in Flint, CDC Says","datePublished":"2016-06-24T16:37:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T22:50:26.508Z","description":"CDC still recommends children under six have their blood tested","url":"https://time.com/4381647/flint-water-crisis-lead-cdc/","keywords":["Public Health","Flint"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt737c7186c6e0f22a/6988996da988ca9dcc6b8611/child-lead-flint-water.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt737c7186c6e0f22a/6988996da988ca9dcc6b8611/child-lead-flint-water.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Flint Water","caption":"FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2016 file photo, registered nurse Brian Jones draws a blood sample from a student at Eisenhower Elementary School in Flint, Mich. 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