Every country has a different blood lead level today. Pick one. Drag the year slider to see where it came from. Watch the crowd change.
Each dot = 258,000 people · Adult geometric mean BLL estimates · Historical data modeled from national surveys, IHME GBD, and leaded-fuel phase-out dates
BLL scale:< 2 µg/dL2–44–77–1010+
Lead doesn't cause one disease. It causes all of them.
Every dot below is a person carrying a lead-linked condition right now. We have written the full research on each one — the mechanisms, the studies, the data. Pick a condition card, drag the timeline, then read the deep-dive below.
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United States
avg BLL 1.2 µg/dL
--/1,000
carry a condition
--
lead-attributed
--
--% prevalence
all causes
--
--% diagnosed
clinical diagnosis
2023
19702023
197019801990200020102023
1975 · PRE-DIAGNOSIS ERA
LEAD
Blood lead comparison — 0 to 20 µg/dL scale
United States
1.2 µg/dL
USA today
1.2 µg/dL
WHO goal
0 µg/dL
Select a country above
Click any country chip to see context and historical data.
Data & methods
Current levels (2023 column): national surveys where available — NHANES (USA), CHMS (Canada), GES (Germany), KNHANES (South Korea), icddr,b (Bangladesh). Other countries use IHME Global Burden of Disease 2019 estimates and Pure Earth country assessments.
Historical estimates (1970–2010): modeled from known leaded-gasoline phase-out dates, published blood-lead trend studies, and IHME GBD modeled series. Ericson et al. (2021) Lancet Planetary Health systematic review provided regional anchors. Confidence intervals are wide for pre-1990 estimates in countries without continuous national surveys.
Key references: Lanphear et al. (2005, 2018); Annest et al. (1983); Mahaffey et al. (1982); Liu et al. (2018) China meta-analysis; Oluwole et al. (2019) Nigeria; Siddique et al. (2020) Bangladesh turmeric; Pure Earth "World's Worst Pollution Problems" reports 2015–2020.
The research behind each dot
The largest easily controllable sources can be seen with low-cost fluorescence spectroscopy.
Lead-glazed dishware. Pre-1992 painted ceramics. Positive result in 30 seconds. No lab. No waiting.
I was testing everything around the house like plates cups clothes etc, and most things were negative (yay!) But then i tested a pair of old boots and they came up positive!the pleather on the boots were flaking off too! My family would still be getting that exposure if i didnt have this kit, thank you!!
I am so glad I bought the Fluoro-Spec Test Kit! I've been worried about some of the dishes (especially mugs) my family regularly uses. I was able to reassure myself that most of the mugs were fine (one I did have to throw out due to testing positive for lead). And nearly all of our plates and bowls tested safe. I am thankful I have this to help make good, educated decisions about what items we use.