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Why should I be concerned?
Some adopted children may have been exposed to lead. Research has shown that foreign-born adopted children tend to have higher lead levels in their blood than children born in the United States (1, 2). An elevated level of lead in a child???s blood can cause learning, attention, behavioral, and developmental problems.

Will I know if my child has been exposed to lead because of their country of origin?
Research has shown that a number of children have elevated blood lead levels depending on the country of origin (1, 2). Specifically, those children emigrating from Asia, Eastern Europe, and Central and South America tend to be more at risk for lead exposure because of the varied number of exposure sources within these countries (2). Lead exposure may also vary by ethnic group or income level within countries.

Each year more than 100,000 children are adopted in the United States. Almost 22,000 of these children are from overseas. This number has been consistently increasing. The most common countries from which children are adopted are China, Russia, South Korea, Guatemala, and Romania. In many of these countries the documented risk for lead exposure is much higher than in the United States.

How are exposure sources different in other countries than in the United States? Children’s exposure to sources of lead, outside of the United States, varies by country. Even within countries, lead exposure may also vary by ethnic group or income level. Lead-based paint and lead contaminated dust and soil remain the primary source of lead exposure for children in the United States.