Dear AJPM  reader,

High lead levels in children are known to be associated with long-term health concerns, including brain damage, behavioral problems, anemia, and kidney disorders. The Flint Water Crisis drew national media attention to what increasingly appears to be a widespread public health issue when the city’s drinking water supply was found to have lead levels over 10 times the allowable limit , resulting in elevated blood-lead levels in many of the city’s children. This month’s ‘Editor’s Choice’ article, Blood Lead Levels and Dental Caries in U.S. Children Who Do Not Drink Tap Water , reveals that nationwide, children and adolescents who do not drink tap water have a lower prevalence of elevated blood lead levels but a higher prevalence of dental caries than peers who do . Moreover, the authors reflect on drinking water as a telling lens through which to view racial—and wealth-based health inequalities—and how the civil rights of entire communities may be systematically jeopardized when safe drinking water is not readily accessible. 

We hope you find this article, as well as the rest of our February issue , to be topical, informative, and illuminating. 

Yours in prevention and health,


Matthew L. Boulton, MD, MPH
Editor-in-Chief

American Journal of Preventive Medicine