Key Points 

• The National Surveillance System for Lead Levels in Children records the results of lead level tests for individuals under 18 years of age, most of which are ordered following the detection of risk factors for exposure in their environment;
• more than 9,000 blood lead level tests recorded by the surveillance system, of which 7,500 were conducted as part of initial screening (excluding cases involving the adoption of a child from abroad, where exposure occurred outside French territory);
• nearly one-third of blood lead level tests were conducted during screening campaigns around industrial sites;
• initial screening activity concentrated in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais regions, particularly in connection with screening incentive campaigns over the past two years;
• a higher average blood lead level among boys, children aged 0–6, and apprentices in high-risk occupations (roofers, painters, plumbers, etc.);
• an average blood lead level that was halved between 2008–2015 (20.7 μg/L) and 2015–2023 (10.2 μg/L);
• nearly one in two cases of lead poisoning in which a dilapidated or renovated home is mentioned in the referral for blood lead level testing;
• 23% of children had an initial blood lead level test result above the 25 μg/L warning threshold;
• 238 cases of lead poisoning identified during the period (excluding adoptions), including twelve resulting from screening incentive campaigns;
• a relatively low number of lead poisoning cases among children undergoing initial screening, representing a detection rate of 4.6% (excluding screening campaigns) and less than 1% during screening campaigns;
• a follow-up blood lead level test conducted more than three months after diagnosis for more than half of the new lead poisoning cases (53.4%).