Communities of color and lower income are disproportionately exposed to higherlevels of environmental hazards leading to adverse health outcomes and social inequalities
and thus establishing a pattern of environmental injustice. Lead poisoning is an
environmental justice issue affecting the most vulnerable population of children and it
varies among the U.S. populations that experienced this problem. Yet, Children’s lead
poisoning is understudied in sociological studies and is often reserved for investigations in
epidemiological studies at the individual level and within limited areas and neighborhoods.
In this paper, I bridge the literatures on environmental justice and the social determinants
of lead exposure to highlight the significance of social inequalities impacting health and
environmental inequalities at the county level. I use data cycles of 2012-2017 from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Community Survey of the
US Census to assess the social inequalities of lead poisoning across U.S. counties. Results
of a multilevel analysis of over 2,100 counties nationwide demonstrate that counties
characterized by higher Black and Latinx populations, lower median income, higher
female-headed household populations, older housing, and lower socioeconomic positions
are at higher risk of childhood lead poisoning. My results reveal variations across U.S.
regions, that are detailed using additive and interactional models. These findings reveal
social-spatial patterns of social inequalities driving environmental health injustices in
childhood lead poisoning.