Appleton Post-Crescent
“No amount of lead exposure is safe for a child,” Brian Weaver, DHS’ lead policy adviser, said in a news release. “Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect a child’s IQ, ability to pay attention and speech development.”
The release explained that young children are most exposed through cracked or chipped lead-based paint. Such paint was often used in homes built before 1978. Children may swallow or breathe in dust from deteriorating paint.
How common is childhood lead poisoning?
The exact answer can be hard to pinpoint.
Nearly 27,000 Wisconsin children younger than 6 have been poisoned by lead in the past 10 years, the DHS release said. But lead testing reached historic lows during the pandemic, calling into question the number of children who actually have lead poisoning but were never tested. Testing has since started to increase.
Is my child at high risk for lead exposure?
DHS noted that some children may be at high risk of lead exposure.
Wisconsin children enrolled in Medicaid are three times more likely to have lead poisoning than children who do not use the program, DHS said. Children who live in houses or attend child care centers built before 1978 are also at higher risk, mainly because lead-based paint was common at that time.
Comments