Exploring the Geographic, Economic & Social Impacts of Childhood Lead Poisoning in Rhode Island

Building on the findings resulting from a Lead Technical Studies grant in 2011, ProvPlan, the RI Department of Health, and Brown University have developed a second Lead Technical Studies project scope that extends their current model to use secondary data to assess the effectiveness of lead hazard control activities and regulations. The team believes that new efforts are needed to quantify the impacts of childhood lead poisoning and that such approaches could be an effective strategy to engage state policymakers in a dialogue about the value of appropriating additional resources for policy enforcement. 

This project will address two primary research questions:

1. Among children (under 72 months) tested for lead between 2010 and 2014, what types of geospatial associations and other covariates exist relative to blood-lead level (BLL) variation among children and the presence of lead compliance certificates?
2. Among children (under 72 months) tested for lead between 1997 and 2014, what direct and indirect costs are associated with BLL variation with regard to Medicaid and Early Intervention expenditures, school readiness, academic achievement, student discipline, and juvenile justice involvement?