Although the Flint, Michigan, water crisis renewed concerns about lead (Pb) in city drinking water, little attention has been paid to Pb in private wells, which provide drinking water for 13% of the US population. This study evaluates the risk of Pb exposure in children in households relying on private wells. It is based on a curated dataset of blood Pb records from 59,483 North Carolina children matched with household water source information. We analyze the dataset for statistical associations between children’s blood Pb and household drinking water source. The analysis shows that children in homes relying on private wells have 25% increased odds (95% CI 6.2 to 48%, P < 0.01) of elevated blood Pb, compared with children in houses served by a community water system that is regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. This increased Pb exposure is likely a result of corrosion of household plumbing and well components, because homes relying on private wells rarely treat their water to prevent corrosion. In contrast, corrosion control is required in regulated community water systems. These findings highlight the need for targeted outreach to prevent Pb exposure for the 42.5 million Americans depending on private wells for their drinking water.

尽管密歇根州弗林特的水危机再次引起人们对城市饮用水中铅 (Pb) 的担忧，但很少有人关注私人水井中的铅，这些水井为 13% 的美国人口提供饮用水。本研究评估了依赖私人水井的家庭中儿童接触铅的风险。它基于与家庭水源信息相匹配的 59,483 名北卡罗来纳州儿童的血铅记录的精选数据集。我们分析了儿童血铅与家庭饮用水源之间统计关联的数据集。分析表明，依赖私人水井的家庭中的儿童的几率增加了 25%（95% CI 6.2 至 48%，P< 0.01) 升高的血铅，与受《安全饮用水法》监管的社区供水系统所服务的房屋中的儿童相比。铅暴露的增加可能是家庭管道和水井部件腐蚀的结果，因为依赖私人水井的家庭很少对水进行处理以防止腐蚀。相比之下，受监管的社区供水系统需要腐蚀控制。这些发现强调了有针对性的外展活动的必要性，以防止 4250 万依赖私人水井获取饮用水的美国人接触铅。