MILWAUKEE- Milwaukee city health officials are raising alarms after finding unacceptable levels of lead in multiple Milwaukee Public Schools facilities.
Tests conducted at Golda Meir and Kagel Elementary identified lead dust and lead paint levels that exceeded allowable standards. A strong potential presence of deteriorated lead paint was also noted at Maryland Avenue Montessori.
Both the city and state department of health are demanding that MPS change it’s cleaning and dust removal procedures.
Out of an abundance of caution, the city health department is now asking for groups of students in MPS to get tested for lead poisoning.
In a written letter to the district, the city department of health writes “Failure to act swiftly and effectively will place children at serious risk of lead poisoning, developmental delays, and other possible health complications.”
In January, two MPS students were tested for lead poisoning, which prompted the city health department to search MPS buildings for traces of lead.
“The top two priority groups to address are six and under because they still have hand-to-mouth behaviors and then students who have special needs would be highly encouraged to get testing at this point,” said Commissioner of Health Mike Totoraitis.
The Milwaukee Health Department gets 12-hundred referrals for lead-poisoned children in the city each year.
MPS Interim Superintendent Eduardo Galvan says that the school district will do its best to immediately address the issue.
“We have our normal protocols which are to review our buildings. That’s done annually a couple times a year,” said Galvan. “These are conditions that aren’t typical and are not normal. We do make sure that we are proactively cleaning our buildings and if anything is brought up to us, we adjust those plans if we need to.”
In 1978, lead was banned from paint and varnish for residential use. No amount of lead in the human body is considered healthy.
