FIGURE 2—

Association between blood lead and systolic blood pressure by race-poverty group, stratified by gender: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, United States, 2001–2008.

Note. PIR = poverty income ratio; SBP = systolic blood pressure. All results were weighted to account for complex survey design. Regression models controlled for age, age², hematocrit, body mass index, heavy alcohol use, smoking status (never, former, current), diabetes diagnosis, education (< high school, high school, > high school), and antihypertensive medication use, and dietary intake of sodium, calcium, and potassium. Log-transformed blood lead level, on the x-axis, is that for each decile of the gender-specific distribution. The PIR is the ratio of the family’s gross income to the family’s poverty threshold as determined annually by the US Census Bureau.