Wisconsin Improves Child Lead Testing Rates, Urges Continued Testing and At-Home Prevention

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has announced a 26% increase in the number of children under age 6 who have been screened for lead exposure statewide, allowing state and local health departments to catch more cases of lead poisoning sooner. This October 19-25, DHS is marking National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week by reminding parents and caregivers that testing children for lead exposure and knowing how to avoid common sources of lead exposure prevent serious health impacts to Wisconsin children.

“No amount of lead exposure is safe for kids, and even the smallest exposure to lead can have serious, long-term consequences impacting kids’ learning capacity, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement,” said Gov. Tony Evers. “That’s why, to kick off the year, I approved an emergency rule to lower Wisconsin’s lead poisoning threshold, making more kids and families eligible for intervention resources, and I’m proud of our work to screen more kids across the state so that we can get these critical resources to folks and families who need them.”

“Every child deserves the chance to grow up in a safe environment,” said DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson. “Our updated statewide testing recommendations have helped health care providers and public health agencies identify children who have been exposed. However, preventing lead exposure at home is the first step to ensure Wisconsin kids can thrive.”

In 2024, DHS updated its statewide blood-lead testing recommendations to recommend that all children receive a blood lead test at age 1 and age 2, resulting in a 26% statewide increase in testing rates for children under age 6, or about 99,500 children tested in 2024. The increase in testing has identified more than 4,800 children with lead poisoning, helping to also increase the number of children and families who receive information on early intervention and prevention resources.

“Catching lead exposures early is vital in preventing lasting health impacts. Lead exposure during childhood can have lasting impacts, including reduced IQ, behavioral challenges, slowed growth, and delayed speech,” said Paula Tran, state health officer and administrator of the Division of Public Health. “The only way to know if a child has been exposed to lead is through a blood lead test.”

Lead can be found in the paint, dust, pipes, and soil in or around older homes and buildings. Products like toys, pottery, and makeup from other countries can contain lead as well. Adult hobbies or occupations such as shooting, hunting, construction, or stained-glass work can also expose children to lead through a process known as take-home lead exposure. Learn more at Lead-Safe Wisconsin: Sources of Lead.

Exposure to lead usually happens by swallowing or breathing it in. If you live in a home or building built before 1978, there is a chance that your home or unit contains lead paint. When lead paint breaks down, it creates dangerous lead dust, which can build up on the surfaces where children eat, play, and crawl.

If you live in a home with lead hazards, DHS recommends that families and caregivers wipe down high-risk surfaces like floors, windowsills, window wells, baseboards, toys, and any high-touch surfaces with disposable wet wipes at least once a week. Don’t sweep or dust; this will only spread lead dust more widely.

For families concerned about lead in their homes, the Lead-Safe Homes Program (LSPH) can help. This program renovates and abates homes to make them lead-safe for Wisconsin kids and pregnant women that are on Medicaid or BadgerCare Plus. As of 2025, the program has renovated over 500 homes across Wisconsin.

“For impacted families, the Lead-Safe Homes Program is about more than just helping with lead abatement or renovation,” said Brian Weaver, lead policy advisor at the Division of Public Health. “It’s about giving families peace-of-mind. Parents and guardians can stop worrying about the old, peeling paint on their walls and instead focus on watching their kids grow.”

As far as we’ve come in addressing lead hazards and preventing lead poisoning in our state, we still have work to do. Gov. Evers’ 2025-27 Executive Budget would have provided over $6 million over the biennium to increase grants to local health departments to support lead poisoning intervention and response. Each health department would have received at least a $40,000 increase, with an average award increase of $50,700, and jurisdictions with more cases of lead poisoning would receive more funding. Unfortunately, Republicans on the state’s budget committee removed this provision from the governor’s budget, as well as other efforts to ensure clean, safe drinking water, including:

• Modifying statutes to allow utilities to provide financial assistance in the form of 100 percent grant funding for the replacement of lead service lines (LSL) for property owners.
• Investing $7.1 million specifically to aid in-home child care providers across Milwaukee County in ensuring lead-free drinking water for their facilities.
• Proposing a $200 million investment to accelerate the removal of lead service lines across the state.
• Providing grants to school districts and independent charter schools to replace water fountains with water bottle filling stations with filtration systems to reduce contaminants in water.

For more information, view DHS resources to know the facts, get your child tested, and keep your home lead-safe.

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.