Residential sources of lead.

Five hundred homes had been selected in Saint John, New Brunswick to evaluate the relationship between lead in blood and lead in drinking water. From this sample one hundred were selected to examine the additional contribution of lead from food, soil, dust, and paint to the blood lead levels of residents. Fifty homes were selected where residents were known to have raised blood lead levels, and 50 further homes were selected where residents were known to have low blood lead levels. All 1 00 homes were visited and one food, two soil, and three dust samples were taken , and multiple measurements of lead in paint performed. A statistical model was developed to explain the data. The primary predictors of raised blood lead levels in the residents were found to be resident age, household water lead level, and lead in paint, and the primary residential source was confirmed to be lead in household water.