DHS Lead Abatement Program Receives Federal Approval
Efforts will improve housing conditions for low-income children and pregnant women
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced today they received approval from the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to implement a health services initiative to provide lead abatement services in the homes of low-income children and pregnant women enrolled in BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid. Governor Tony Evers’ budget invested $14.2 million in lead testing and abatement and $2 million for the new Lead-Safe Homes Program.
“This is a great step toward my goal to ‘get the lead out’ of Wisconsin homes so that our families, and most of all our kids, don’t have to worry about lead poisoning and the long term health and learning affects that come with it,” said Governor Evers.
Improvements will include removing lead based paint and lead dust hazards, replacing fixtures such as faucets, and removing soil lead hazards. DHS will coordinate these efforts and ensure individuals providing lead abatement services are well trained and certified by the state. DHS will be directing these efforts statewide to ensure progress is made in eliminating lead hazards in the homes of those eligible for these services.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say there is no safe level of lead in the body. Lead poisoned children have been identified in every county in Wisconsin. In 2016, of those tested, more than 4,000 Wisconsin children under six were found to have lead poisoning. Lead can interfere with brain development and can result in lower IQ, learning difficulties, reduced educational achievement, and greater likelihood of behavioral problems like aggression, hyperactivity, and delinquency.
If a pregnant woman is exposed to lead, possible complications to her pregnancy can occur. These complications can include miscarriage, premature birth, injury to the child’s brain, kidney and nervous system, and learning or behavior problems for the child.
Lead poisoning is preventable. Since 1996, more than 220,000 children have been exposed to lead in our state. Children living in Milwaukee and Racine are at the greatest risk of exposure due to the volume of older housing stock, but any child who lives in a home built before 1978 is at risk for exposure. In 2012, the CDC lowered the blood lead threshold to 5 mcg/dl, down from 10 mcg/dl for children under age six. While no level of lead exposure is safe for children, those who test at or above that level warrant a public health response.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Lead Crisis
- Baldwin Delivers Over $83 Million to Replace Lead Pipes, Expand Access to Safe Drinking Water - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - May 2nd, 2024
- Congresswoman Gwen Moore Statement on Milwaukee Designation as Workforce Hub - U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore - Apr 26th, 2024
- Biden Announces Milwaukee As New “Workforce Hub” For Lead Pipe Removal - Jeramey Jannene - Apr 25th, 2024
- 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
Read more about Lead Crisis here
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