The characteristics of lead pollution and the associated health risk of children for the dust samples from 69 representative kindergartens in different type districts of Wuhan were investigated. Total lead concentration and bioaccessibility according to physiologically based extraction test (PBET) were determined. Results showed that the levels of lead concentration in dust ranged from 36.3 to 1 523 mg x kg(-1) with an average value of 169 mg x kg(-1), lower than published data from other areas. The great spatial variation of Pb in dust indicated that specific sites have been seriously contaminated by Pb. The bioaccessibilities of Pb in dusts were 35% +/- 15% at gastric phases and 7.6% +/- 5.8% at intestinal phases. According to the predicted model with the Integration Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model (IEUBK), the geometric mean blood lead of children (0-6 years) was 2.73 microg x dL(-1), of which over 10 microg x dL(-1) was less than 0.001% and exceeded 5 microg x dL(-1) was 3.32%.