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COVID-19 deaths data will be published next week

There will be a delay to the publication of the COVID-19 deaths data because of the Easter bank holidays. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) will publish the latest data on Friday 25 April. As a result, the data will appear on the dashboard on 1 May.

Entry title:

Lead exposure in children

Last updated on Thursday, 24 April 2025 at 05:06pm

Lead is a persistent heavy metal environmental contaminant that adversely affects health, even at low blood lead concentrations. There is no known safe threshold for lead exposure. Children and the foetus (thus pregnant women) are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of lead exposure.

Lead Exposure in Children Surveillance System (LEICSS) is a passive surveillance system that notifies the Health Protection Teams (HPTs) of laboratory reports of elevated blood lead levels in children aged 0 to 15 years in England. This system facilitates effective health protection case management which primarily involves identifying and removing the individual from the source(s) of lead. Since 5 July 2021, the case definition for surveillance changed to half the original concentration, from 0.48 μmol/L (equivalent to ≥10μg/dL) to 0.24μmol/L (equivalent to ≥5μg/dL). As expected, this led to a steep increase in the number of cases being reported to LEICSS.

Cases recorded by LEICSS come from several sources. The majority are reported directly to LEICSS by UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited testing biochemistry or toxicology laboratories. These are then processed by LEICSS, recorded in the UKHSA case management system (CIMS) and referred to the HPT of residence for case management. A smaller number of cases of elevated blood lead are notified directly to Health Protection Teams (HPT), for example via the clinician caring for the child.

Annual reports are published each year to provide insights into the prevailing trends in case numbers and characteristics. This data will next be updated in winter 2025.

For more information, please see our detailed notes on methodology and caveats.

Cases

Cases by year

Counts of LEICSS cases reported by year. A change in case definition since 2021 has led to a steep increase in the number of cases being reported. Figures are annual, but shown as at December of each year. For example, the figures for 2023 are shown as at "Dec 2023".

Up to and including 31 Dec 2023

ChartThere is only 1 plot on this chart. The horizontal X-axis is labelled 'date'. Whilst the vertical Y-axis is labelled 'metric'. This is a dark blue solid line plot. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_cases_casesByYear' for the England area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows data from 31 December 2015 to 31 December 2023. The date fluctuates between 33.0 on 31 December 2015, ending with the same value on 31 December 2016. It fell from 49.0 on 31 December 2017 to 45.0 on 31 December 2018. It fell from 36.0 on 31 December 2019 to 35.0 on 31 December 2020. The date fluctuates between 121.0 on 31 December 2021, ending with the same value on 31 December 2021. The date fluctuates between 191.0 on 31 December 2022, ending with the same value on 31 December 2022. And finally. The date fluctuates between 226.0 on 31 December 2023, ending with the same value on 31 December 2023. There is no reporting delay period being tracked for the data on this chart. - Refer to tabular data.
Tabular data

Cases by year data for counts of LEICSS cases reported by year. A change in case definition since 2021 has led to a steep increase in the number of cases being reported. Figures are annual, but shown as at December of each year. For example, the figures for 2023 are shown as at "Dec 2023".

Up to and including 31 December 2023

YearNumber of cases
31 Dec 2023226
31 Dec 2022191
31 Dec 2021121
31 Dec 202035
31 Dec 201936
31 Dec 201845
31 Dec 201749
31 Dec 201633
31 Dec 201533
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NOTES: A case is defined as a child with a blood lead concentration ≥0.24 μmol/L (equivalent to ≥5 μg/dL) detected in a UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited biochemistry or toxicology laboratory. This is reported to UKHSA for public health intervention. The child is aged under 16 years at the time elevated levels of lead are detected in the blood and resident of England. Prior to 5 July 2021, the case definition for surveillance was 0.48 μmol/L (equivalent to ≥10μg/dL). Since 5 July 2021, the case definition for surveillance changed to half the original concentration to 0.24μmol/L (equivalent to ≥5μg/dL). As expected, this led to a steep increase in the number of cases being reported to LEICSS.

Average detection rates by UKHSA Region

The rate of LEICSS cases reported across the nine UKHSA regions in England. A change in case definition since 2021 has led to a steep increase in the number of cases being reported. Regions with participating laboratories are denoted with an asterisk (*) in the legend below. Figures are annual, but shown as at December of each year. For example, the figures for 2023 are shown as at "Dec 2023".

Up to and including 31 Dec 2023

ChartThere are 9 plots on this chart. The horizontal X-axis is labelled 'date'. Whilst the vertical Y-axis is labelled 'metric'. This is plot number 1 on this chart. This is a dark blue solid line plot. The plot has a label of 'East of England'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_cases_casesByRegion' for the East of England area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows data from 31 December 2015 to 31 December 2023. It rose from 2.46 on 31 December 2015 to 4.05 on 31 December 2016. It rose from 1.6 on 31 December 2017 to 3.17 on 31 December 2018. It rose from 2.35 on 31 December 2019 to 3.1 on 31 December 2020. The date fluctuates between 3.13 on 31 December 2021, ending with the same value on 31 December 2021. The date fluctuates between 5.05 on 31 December 2022, ending with the same value on 31 December 2022. And finally. The date fluctuates between 8.22 on 31 December 2023, ending with the same value on 31 December 2023. This is plot number 2 on this chart. This is a turquoise solid line plot. The plot has a label of 'East Midlands'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_cases_casesByRegion' for the East Midlands area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows data from 31 December 2015 to 31 December 2023. It fell from 1.16 on 31 December 2015 to 0.0 on 31 December 2016. It rose from 0.0 on 31 December 2017 to 3.36 on 31 December 2018. It rose from 1.11 on 31 December 2019 to 3.3 on 31 December 2020. The date fluctuates between 0.0 on 31 December 2021, ending with the same value on 31 December 2021. The date fluctuates between 11.35 on 31 December 2022, ending with the same value on 31 December 2022. And finally. The date fluctuates between 14.42 on 31 December 2023, ending with the same value on 31 December 2023. This is plot number 3 on this chart. This is a dark pink solid line plot. The plot has a label of 'West Midlands*'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_cases_casesByRegion' for the West Midlands area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows data from 31 December 2015 to 31 December 2023. It rose from 1.78 on 31 December 2015 to 2.64 on 31 December 2016. It rose from 2.61 on 31 December 2017 to 3.45 on 31 December 2018. It rose from 0.0 on 31 December 2019 to 1.7 on 31 December 2020. The date fluctuates between 9.41 on 31 December 2021, ending with the same value on 31 December 2021. The date fluctuates between 33.11 on 31 December 2022, ending with the same value on 31 December 2022. And finally. The date fluctuates between 25.49 on 31 December 2023, ending with the same value on 31 December 2023. This is plot number 4 on this chart. This is a orange solid line plot. The plot has a label of 'London*'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_cases_casesByRegion' for the London area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows data from 31 December 2015 to 31 December 2023. It rose from 2.84 on 31 December 2015 to 3.9 on 31 December 2016. It rose from 5.52 on 31 December 2017 to 6.54 on 31 December 2018. It fell from 5.97 on 31 December 2019 to 2.2 on 31 December 2020. The date fluctuates between 10.84 on 31 December 2021, ending with the same value on 31 December 2021. The date fluctuates between 14.19 on 31 December 2022, ending with the same value on 31 December 2022. And finally. The date fluctuates between 17.74 on 31 December 2023, ending with the same value on 31 December 2023. This is plot number 5 on this chart. This is a dark grey solid line plot. The plot has a label of 'South East*'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_cases_casesByRegion' for the South East area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows data from 31 December 2015 to 31 December 2023. It fell from 3.65 on 31 December 2015 to 0.0 on 31 December 2016. It fell from 2.39 on 31 December 2017 to 1.77 on 31 December 2018. It fell from 0.59 on 31 December 2019 to 0.0 on 31 December 2020. The date fluctuates between 4.1 on 31 December 2021, ending with the same value on 31 December 2021. The date fluctuates between 5.8 on 31 December 2022, ending with the same value on 31 December 2022. And finally. The date fluctuates between 13.05 on 31 December 2023, ending with the same value on 31 December 2023. This is plot number 6 on this chart. This is a light purple solid line plot. The plot has a label of 'South West*'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_cases_casesByRegion' for the South West area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows data from 31 December 2015 to 31 December 2023. It fell from 2.09 on 31 December 2015 to 0.0 on 31 December 2016. It rose from 2.05 on 31 December 2017 to 4.05 on 31 December 2018. It rose from 2.02 on 31 December 2019 to 3.0 on 31 December 2020. The date fluctuates between 9.07 on 31 December 2021, ending with the same value on 31 December 2021. The date fluctuates between 9.32 on 31 December 2022, ending with the same value on 31 December 2022. And finally. The date fluctuates between 16.41 on 31 December 2023, ending with the same value on 31 December 2023. This is plot number 7 on this chart. This is a burgundy solid line plot. The plot has a label of 'North West'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_cases_casesByRegion' for the North West area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows data from 31 December 2015 to 31 December 2023. It rose from 2.96 on 31 December 2015 to 4.39 on 31 December 2016. It fell from 7.96 on 31 December 2017 to 2.15 on 31 December 2018. It fell from 8.38 on 31 December 2019 to 3.6 on 31 December 2020. The date fluctuates between 7.82 on 31 December 2021, ending with the same value on 31 December 2021. The date fluctuates between 18.7 on 31 December 2022, ending with the same value on 31 December 2022. And finally. The date fluctuates between 12.67 on 31 December 2023, ending with the same value on 31 December 2023. This is plot number 8 on this chart. This is a mustard solid line plot. The plot has a label of 'North East'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_cases_casesByRegion' for the North East area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows data from 31 December 2015 to 31 December 2023. It fell from 2.15 on 31 December 2015 to 0.0 on 31 December 2016. It fell from 2.12 on 31 December 2017 to 0.0 on 31 December 2018. It rose from 0.0 on 31 December 2019 to 4.2 on 31 December 2020. The date fluctuates between 10.47 on 31 December 2021, ending with the same value on 31 December 2021. The date fluctuates between 6.41 on 31 December 2022, ending with the same value on 31 December 2022. And finally. The date fluctuates between 16.87 on 31 December 2023, ending with the same value on 31 December 2023. This is plot number 9 on this chart. This is a deep plum solid line plot. The plot has a label of 'Yorkshire and Humber*'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_cases_casesByRegion' for the Yorkshire and Humber area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows data from 31 December 2015 to 31 December 2023. It rose from 8.83 on 31 December 2015 to 11.67 on 31 December 2016. It fell from 15.42 on 31 December 2017 to 11.47 on 31 December 2018. It fell from 13.33 on 31 December 2019 to 11.4 on 31 December 2020. The date fluctuates between 51.4 on 31 December 2021, ending with the same value on 31 December 2021. The date fluctuates between 63.81 on 31 December 2022, ending with the same value on 31 December 2022. And finally. The date fluctuates between 75.48 on 31 December 2023, ending with the same value on 31 December 2023. There is no reporting delay period being tracked for the data on this chart. - Refer to tabular data.
Tabular data

Average detection rates by UKHSA Region data for the rate of LEICSS cases reported across the nine UKHSA regions in England. A change in case definition since 2021 has led to a steep increase in the number of cases being reported. Regions with participating laboratories are denoted with an asterisk (*) in the legend below. Figures are annual, but shown as at December of each year. For example, the figures for 2023 are shown as at "Dec 2023".

Up to and including 31 December 2023

YearEast of EnglandEast Midlands
31 Dec 20238.2214.42
31 Dec 20225.0511.35
31 Dec 20213.130
31 Dec 20203.13.3
31 Dec 20192.351.11
31 Dec 20183.173.36
31 Dec 20171.60
31 Dec 20164.050
31 Dec 20152.461.16
YearWest Midlands*London*
31 Dec 202325.4917.74
31 Dec 202233.1114.19
31 Dec 20219.4110.84
31 Dec 20201.72.2
31 Dec 201905.97
31 Dec 20183.456.54
31 Dec 20172.615.52
31 Dec 20162.643.9
31 Dec 20151.782.84
YearSouth East*South West*
31 Dec 202313.0516.41
31 Dec 20225.89.32
31 Dec 20214.19.07
31 Dec 202003
31 Dec 20190.592.02
31 Dec 20181.774.05
31 Dec 20172.392.05
31 Dec 201600
31 Dec 20153.652.09
YearNorth WestNorth East
31 Dec 202312.6716.87
31 Dec 202218.76.41
31 Dec 20217.8210.47
31 Dec 20203.64.2
31 Dec 20198.380
31 Dec 20182.150
31 Dec 20177.962.12
31 Dec 20164.390
31 Dec 20152.962.15
YearYorkshire and Humber*
31 Dec 202375.48
31 Dec 202263.81
31 Dec 202151.4
31 Dec 202011.4
31 Dec 201913.33
31 Dec 201811.47
31 Dec 201715.42
31 Dec 201611.67
31 Dec 20158.83
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NOTES: A case is defined as a child with a blood lead concentration ≥0.24 μmol/L (equivalent to ≥5 μg/dL) detected in a UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited biochemistry or toxicology laboratory. This is reported to UKHSA for public health intervention. The child is aged under 16 years at the time elevated levels of lead are detected in the blood and resident of England. Prior to 5 July 2021, the case definition for surveillance was 0.48 μmol/L (equivalent to ≥10μg/dL). Since 5 July 2021, the case definition for surveillance changed to half the original concentration to 0.24μmol/L (equivalent to ≥5μg/dL). As expected, this led to a steep increase in the number of cases being reported to LEICSS.

Detection rate by age and sex - males

Detection rate is calculated as the number of cases per 1,000,000 children. Data for 2015 to 2023.

Up to and including 31 Dec 2023

ChartThere are 4 plots on this chart. The horizontal X-axis is labelled 'sex'. Whilst the vertical Y-axis is labelled 'metric'. This is plot number 1 on this chart. This is a dark blue solid bar plot. The plot has a label of '< 1 year'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_ratesByAgeSex' for the England area, along with the age banding of '00-01' for the gender group of males. This plot shows `m` along the X-axis. And `5.5000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 2 on this chart. This is a turquoise solid bar plot. The plot has a label of '01-04 years'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_ratesByAgeSex' for the England area, along with the age banding of '01-04' for the gender group of males. This plot shows `m` along the X-axis. And `22.3000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 3 on this chart. This is a dark pink solid bar plot. The plot has a label of '05-11 years'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_ratesByAgeSex' for the England area, along with the age banding of '05-11' for the gender group of males. This plot shows `m` along the X-axis. And `5.6000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 4 on this chart. This is a orange solid bar plot. The plot has a label of '12-15 years'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_ratesByAgeSex' for the England area, along with the age banding of '12-15' for the gender group of males. This plot shows `m` along the X-axis. And `1.3000` along the Y-axis. There is no reporting delay period being tracked for the data on this chart. - Refer to tabular data.
Tabular data

Detection rate by age and sex - males data for detection rate is calculated as the number of cases per 1,000,000 children. Data for 2015 to 2023.

Up to and including 31 December 2023

Males< 1 year
&lt; 1 year5.5
Males01-04 years
&lt; 1 year22.3
Males05-11 years
&lt; 1 year5.6
Males12-15 years
&lt; 1 year1.3
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Detection rate by age and sex - females

Detection rate is calculated as the number of cases per 1,000,000 children. Data for 2015 to 2023.

Up to and including 31 Dec 2023

ChartThere are 4 plots on this chart. The horizontal X-axis is labelled 'sex'. Whilst the vertical Y-axis is labelled 'metric'. This is plot number 1 on this chart. This is a dark blue solid bar plot. The plot has a label of '< 1 year'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_ratesByAgeSex' for the England area, along with the age banding of '00-01' for the gender group of females. This plot shows `f` along the X-axis. And `6.0000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 2 on this chart. This is a turquoise solid bar plot. The plot has a label of '01-04 years'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_ratesByAgeSex' for the England area, along with the age banding of '01-04' for the gender group of females. This plot shows `f` along the X-axis. And `13.5000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 3 on this chart. This is a dark pink solid bar plot. The plot has a label of '05-11 years'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_ratesByAgeSex' for the England area, along with the age banding of '05-11' for the gender group of females. This plot shows `f` along the X-axis. And `2.6000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 4 on this chart. This is a orange solid bar plot. The plot has a label of '12-15 years'. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_ratesByAgeSex' for the England area, along with the age banding of '12-15' for the gender group of females. This plot shows `f` along the X-axis. And `0.6000` along the Y-axis. There is no reporting delay period being tracked for the data on this chart. - Refer to tabular data.
Tabular data

Detection rate by age and sex - females data for detection rate is calculated as the number of cases per 1,000,000 children. Data for 2015 to 2023.

Up to and including 31 December 2023

Females< 1 year
&lt; 1 year6
Females01-04 years
&lt; 1 year13.5
Females05-11 years
&lt; 1 year2.6
Females12-15 years
&lt; 1 year0.6
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Cases by deprivation, 2015 to 2022

The percentage of LEICSS cases by quintile of the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), highlighting case distribution across severity of deprivation index quintile. Quintile 1 represents the least deprived regions while quintile 5 represents the most deprived regions.

Up to and including 31 Dec 2023

ChartThere are 5 plots on this chart. The horizontal X-axis is labelled 'stratum'. Whilst the vertical Y-axis is labelled 'metric'. This is plot number 1 on this chart. This is a dark blue solid bar plot. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_percentByDeprivationHistorical' for the England area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows `1` along the X-axis. And `4.2000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 2 on this chart. This is a dark blue solid bar plot. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_percentByDeprivationHistorical' for the England area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows `2` along the X-axis. And `10.0000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 3 on this chart. This is a dark blue solid bar plot. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_percentByDeprivationHistorical' for the England area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows `3` along the X-axis. And `13.7000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 4 on this chart. This is a dark blue solid bar plot. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_percentByDeprivationHistorical' for the England area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows `4` along the X-axis. And `21.5000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 5 on this chart. This is a dark blue solid bar plot. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_percentByDeprivationHistorical' for the England area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows `5` along the X-axis. And `50.5000` along the Y-axis. There is no reporting delay period being tracked for the data on this chart. - Refer to tabular data.
Tabular data

Cases by deprivation, 2015 to 2022 data for the percentage of LEICSS cases by quintile of the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), highlighting case distribution across severity of deprivation index quintile. Quintile 1 represents the least deprived regions while quintile 5 represents the most deprived regions.

Up to and including 31 December 2023

Deprivation quintilePercent of cases
14.2
210
313.7
421.5
550.5
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Cases by deprivation, 2023

The percentage of LEICSS cases by quintile of the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), highlighting case distribution across severity of deprivation index quintile. Quintile 1 represents the least deprived regions while quintile 5 represents the most deprived regions.

Up to and including 31 Dec 2023

ChartThere are 5 plots on this chart. The horizontal X-axis is labelled 'stratum'. Whilst the vertical Y-axis is labelled 'metric'. This is plot number 1 on this chart. This is a turquoise solid bar plot. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_percentByDeprivationLatest' for the England area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows `1` along the X-axis. And `6.4000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 2 on this chart. This is a turquoise solid bar plot. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_percentByDeprivationLatest' for the England area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows `2` along the X-axis. And `12.3000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 3 on this chart. This is a turquoise solid bar plot. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_percentByDeprivationLatest' for the England area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows `3` along the X-axis. And `15.1000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 4 on this chart. This is a turquoise solid bar plot. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_percentByDeprivationLatest' for the England area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows `4` along the X-axis. And `17.8000` along the Y-axis. This is plot number 5 on this chart. This is a turquoise solid bar plot. This plot shows data for Lead. Specifically the metric 'lead_headline_percentByDeprivationLatest' for the England area, along with the age banding of 'all' for the gender group of all. This plot shows `5` along the X-axis. And `48.4000` along the Y-axis. There is no reporting delay period being tracked for the data on this chart. - Refer to tabular data.
Tabular data

Cases by deprivation, 2023 data for the percentage of LEICSS cases by quintile of the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), highlighting case distribution across severity of deprivation index quintile. Quintile 1 represents the least deprived regions while quintile 5 represents the most deprived regions.

Up to and including 31 December 2023

Deprivation quintilePercent of cases
16.4
212.3
315.1
417.8
548.4
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