MILWAUKEE — The latest Milwaukee Health Department data reveals a troubling reality: about 1 in 10 Milwaukee children have been poisoned by lead, with the vast majority of cases traced to contaminated rental properties built before lead paint was banned in 1978.
For the past year, our Lighthouse special reporting team has been investigating the dangers of lead exposure and the obstacles many renters face in keeping their children safe from this preventable health crisis.
A family's ongoing struggle
Aidan Branch was hospitalized twice as a toddler for extreme lead poisoning, and though he was too young to remember those frightening days, the effects continue to shape his daily life.
"I don't want anyone else to go through what I've been through," Aidan said.
His mother, Deanna Branch, says the lead poisoning has left lasting damage that will affect her son for the rest of his life.
"After he was lead poisoned, he was diagnosed with ADHD, ODD. He still has behavioral problems and nervous things where he can't sit still. He's been that way since he was two," Deanna Branch said.
Watch: Milwaukee children face lifelong impacts from lead poisoning in rental homes
The Branch family's ordeal wasn't limited to Aidan. His older brother was also poisoned in their old rental home, where a health department inspection found lead contamination on walls, windowsills, and in the water supply.
"Definitely, the lead paint was the number one factor. Eating those wood chips, playing in the window sills. The paint chipping off the walls," Branch said.
Staggering numbers reveal widespread problem
Milwaukee Health Department data from the last four years paints a concerning picture of the scope of lead poisoning in the city. Of the 81,000 children age 5 and younger who have been tested, 9,000 were found to have concerning levels of lead in their blood.
Perhaps most alarming: inspections found that 88% of these poisoned children live in homes contaminated with lead paint.
"Lead paint, long story short, is highly concentrated, and a little bit of dust in a small child can send them straight to the hospital," said Tyler Weber from the Milwaukee Health Department.
The problem stems from the city's aging housing stock. Weber says Milwaukee has an estimated 255,000 housing units with lead paint because they were built before 1978, when lead paint was banned.
"Overtime as homes age, does the problem get worse?" Weber was asked.
"Yes. Absolutely, it gets worse. The older the home, the longer it goes without maintenance, the worse it is," Weber said.
Children most vulnerable to exposure
UW-Milwaukee lead expert Amy Kalkbrenner explains why children face the highest risk of lead exposure and suffer the most severe consequences.
"They're crawling on the floor. That's where the tiny lead particles are. Or they're putting everything into their mouth," Kalkbrenner said.
Lead is particularly harmful to developing brains, making children the biggest concern for health experts.
Children's Wisconsin tests thousands of kids annually for lead poisoning. Pediatrician Heather Paradis says the effects primarily impact a child's ability to regulate behavior.
"Some of the behavioral problems that we see do mimic things like ADHD, so hyperactivity, impulsivity, difficulties with learning," Paradis said.
Temporary fixes for a permanent problem
Having experienced the devastating effects of lead poisoning firsthand, Deanna Branch now volunteers to advocate for other parents facing similar situations. However, she often finds herself recommending temporary solutions rather than permanent fixes.
"I have to tell them, if you see paint chipping, you have to cover it with duct tape. If there's dust particles on the window, use a bleach wipe or swiffer mop the floor so they won't be exposed to the dust, just putting a bandaid on the situation, not addressing the root issue, having the lead paint out of the house," Branch said.
"What most people don't realize when a child is lead poisoned, it's a lifelong thing," Branch said.
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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