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Wisconsin's blood lead poisoning levels among children are similar to the 2015 rate in Flint, Mich., according to a new report from the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families (WCCF).
Last week was National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, and blood lead poisoning is termed a preventable problem by health experts. They say we know what the problem is, and what the solutions are. The Wisconsin Department of Human Services estimates a $7 billion annual cost saving if blood lead poisoning was eliminated. According to Leland Pan with WCCF, the state is among the worst in the Midwest for the problem.
"We have a higher blood lead level rate among children than Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana; I think only Ohio trumps us," said Pan.
The percentage tested is about 4.6 percent of children under 6 years old tested have elevated blood lead levels. To put that in perspective, Flint's rate in 2015 was 4.9 percent.
The report says the most effective way to reduce blood lead poisoning levels is to prevent lead exposure. It suggests the state consider offering low-cost loans to homeowners to help them in removing lead from their property. There are two principal sources of lead contamination.
First, because many of Wisconsin's homes are older, they have lead paint, which was banned in 1978. It can flake off and create dust that children can inhale. The second major problem in the state is lead water pipes. "
We have about 176,000 lead service lines in Wisconsin," Pan explained. "Over 70,000 of those are in Milwaukee County, but there are also a significant number in Racine, Manitowoc, Kenosha and Marathon."
