MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A Milwaukee mother is desperately seeking help after she says her landlord's lead abatement efforts contributed to her 1-year-old son's high lead levels.
Alexandra Shelvik contacted TMJ4's Jenna Rae after discovering her son Kendrick had elevated lead levels in his blood that required medical attention.
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She received multiple letters from the City of Milwaukee Health Department notifying her of her son's high lead levels.
"My landlord is doing his own lead abatement," Shelvik said. "And this lead exposure has doubled my son's lead exposure in the last 20 days."
What began as a routine checkup for her son quickly turned into a health crisis.
"Kendrick turned one years old on May 2, so we set up a doctor's appointment for his yearly check up. The CDC requires children under the age of 6 to be checked with lead levels, so it was just a standard test," Shelvik explained.
The results were alarming. Eleven days after the appointment, Shelvik received a letter from the city's health department alerting her that Kendrick had elevated lead levels requiring medical attention.
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"I was very fearful," she said.
Shelvik immediately contacted her landlord, former aldermanic candidate Ryan Antczak, about the test results.
"He seemed pretty confident that there wasn't any lead in the house, he thought it was coming from the plumbing, and I ensured him my son does not drink tap water," she said.
According to Shelvik, Antczak began performing his own lead remediation inside her south side duplex on May 19.
"He was just scraping and then when he was finished for the day. He took everything down and he had spread paint chips for the first couple days across the patio furniture, the balcony, the stairs," Shelvik added.
When Kendrick's blood was tested again on June 5, his lead levels had nearly doubled.
Watch: Mother says landlord's improper lead removal endangering her 1-year-old son
"He released more microscopic lead that has rested on all the surfaces in our house and my son is an infant, he's crawling around, he's touching things," Shelvik said.
When contacted about the high lead levels, his lead remediation efforts, and whether he was certified to remove lead paint, Antczak said he had no comment.
Shelvik reached out to share her story in hopes of protecting her family.
"If you could help me, protect my son and get my story heard," she said. "I really wanted someone to hear my story and help protect my family. I really don't have much knowledge in tenant landlord situations like this and I wanted some people to see what was happening."
The situation has become urgent for the Milwaukee mother.
"It's about my son and I can't keep him here and not a moment longer. Every day he spends in here is another day he's being exposed to more lead," Shelvik explained.
TMJ4 reached out to MHD Tuesday. A spokesperson tells us that MHD is aware of the situation and will continue to support the family with education and resources.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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