MILWAUKEE — Local organizations are now partnering up to offer lead testing to Milwaukee Head Start programs and daycares.
City of Milwaukee's Interim Health Director Tyler Webber tells us if lead poisoning is left untreated in children, it can lead to behavioral and learning issues.
Organizations, which include Next Door, Novir diagnostic company, and Milwaukee's health department, are taking a seat at the table to be part of the city's 'Child Lead Poisoning Prevention Program' which targets children from birth to six years old.
Leaders at Next Door tell us many of the families who bring their children, who range from six months to five years old, live in neighborhoods identified as high-risk for lead exposure.
"There often can be so many systemic challenges, but also so many barriers in place for families a having access to information," said Heather Grams, Next Door president. This is why she says she was happy to have a lead testing clinic Thursday at their Capitol Drive location.
Parent Brianna was thankful her child was tested for lead on Thursday, "For it to be provided here, it takes the hassle away! I wanna make sure my kids are healthy in every possible way, and just being careful than sorry."
Webber agrees. He says lead exposure is primarily coming from paint in older homes, "And the concentration of lead in paint is very high, so you only need a little bit of dust for lead poisoning."
He says the south and near north side of Milwaukee have the most aged homes with deteriorating lead paint. Webber points out that these are in zip codes with families who are already socioeconomically vulnerable, "We need to reduce the barriers to get families the help they need we need to go to where the families are."
If a child tests positive for lead exposure, the city has "lead risk assessors" who can go into homes and collect samples, which include paint, water, and soil nearby. The health department estimated in 2019, there were about 121,000 homes that needed this, "They spend 25 to 35,000 dollars per unit to control those lead hazards. The truth is Milwaukee needs more resources and we need more funding."
When it comes to resources for lead in the water, our I-Team found last year, the city of Milwaukee was given $4.5 million from President Joe Biden's administration's infrastructure plan to replace service lines. But a spokesperson for Milwaukee Water Works estimated that it will take about 60 years to replace all lead service lines in the city with that money alone.
The Centers for Disease Control says all lead is unsafe, but levels in children at five micrograms or above are considered "lead poisoned." According to the City of Milwaukee Health Department, nearly 25,000 children tested for lead in 2019. 7.5% of those children tested had levels of five micrograms or above.
