Testing Kids For Lead Poisoning Declined During Pandemic
25% reduction in lead tests in state compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The number of tests used to detect lead poisoning in Wisconsin children declined substantially during the pandemic, especially among groups most likely to be exposed to lead in drinking water or from paint in older homes.
Fewer doctor visits during the pandemic led to a 25 percent decline in lead tests compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to state health officials. There is no safe level of lead exposure, which can cause damage to the brain and learning delays.
“We see a concentration of lead poisoning in cities like Milwaukee, in cities where we have housing stock pre-1978 and also housing stock that is not kept up where you see chipping, peeling paint,” Weaver said Thursday in interview on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Morning Show.”
The problem also affects rural areas, he said.
Children in Vernon, Sheboygan, Rusk, Jefferson and Rock counties had similarly high rates of lead poisoning compared to Milwaukee. However, Weaver said every county in Wisconsin had a child under age 6 who has tested positive for lead in the past 25 years.
More than half of children in the United States are at risk of lead exposure — often in their own home, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Lead poisoning has been a serious problem in Wisconsin for decades with now banned lead paint being the primary source. But lead pipes carrying drinking water can also be a source.
President Joe Biden visited Ohio in February to push for removal of lead pipes, part of a bipartisan infrastructure plan. The Biden administration wants to replace all lead water pipes and service lines in the nation within the next decade.
Both the state and federal governments have tried to draw attention and provide funds to replace lead water mains.
In December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Bloomer to announce the city would receive nearly $28 million in loans and grants to help Bloomer replace 4.6 miles of lead water main pipe and other aging sewer infrastructure.
Listen to the WPR report here.
Fewer Wisconsin kids have been tested for lead poisoning during the pandemic was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
More about the Lead Crisis
- Senator Baldwin Delivers Nearly $2 Million to Keep Wausau Families Safe from Lead Contamination - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Apr 12th, 2024
- IRS Rules that Homeowners Won’t Have to Pay Additional Taxes for Subsidized Replacement of Lead Pipes - Milwaukee Water Works - Feb 29th, 2024
- Milwaukee Makes It Far Easier To Replace Your Lead Service Line - Jeramey Jannene - Dec 18th, 2023
- Congresswoman Gwen Moore Praises Biden Administration Effort to Remove Lead Pipes in 10 Years - U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore - Nov 30th, 2023
- Biden-Harris Administration Announces Partnership with 10 Wisconsin Communities to Accelerate Lead Service Line Replacement as Part of Investing in America Agenda - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Nov 2nd, 2023
- Evers, DNR Announce $402 Million Funding to Improve Local Drinking Water - Henry Redman - Oct 24th, 2023
- How EPA’s Proposed Lead Dust Rules Would Impact Wisconsin - Farrah Anderson - Aug 30th, 2023
- City Regulators Can Require Fixing of Lead Hazards — If They Can Find Landlords - Farrah Anderson - Aug 29th, 2023
- MPS Hopeful New Filters Will Keep Water Safe - Evan Casey - Aug 29th, 2023
- City Seeks Firm To Manage Its Accelerating Lead Pipe Replacements - Jeramey Jannene - Aug 9th, 2023
Read more about Lead Crisis here