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READ MORE: Toxic lead found in MAJORITY of Americans’ tap water
It is estimated that thousands of children in Milwaukee may have been exposed to a toxin associated with
cancer
and autism due to crumbling classrooms at school.
At least eight schools were found to have lead-based paint that is chipping and producing toxic dust that when inhaled can lead to a host of health problems.
A number of educational institutions have been forced to shut down briefly for cleanup activities following the discovery of elevated concentrations of these harmful substances in pupils’ bloodstream.
Kat Cisar, a mother of six-year-old twins, learned in February that her children had been exposed. Her kids’ school is one of those that was forced to shut.
The public health crisis emerged late last year. Health officials now plan now is to use the summer to inspect half of the district’s 100 schools built before 1978, when lead paint was banned, in time for classes to go back in the fall.
The leftover institutions will undergo inspection by the year’s end.
But parents are worried that timeline means that young children could potentially be exposed to the toxin
known to cause damage
to the brain.
Lead has been associated with
learning disabilities
Alongside harm to the kidneys, as well as potential impacts on the reproductive, cardiovascular, and digestive systems, it may also lead to conditions within the autism spectrum disorder.
After the initial child was found to have elevated lead levels towards the end of last year, three additional children have since tested positive.
Sisar’s kids haven’t shown signs of lead poisoning, yet she needs to remain vigilant about monitoring this, as advised.
ABC News
.
‘We place great trust in our institutions and educational establishments, but it’s incredibly discouraging when these systems let us down,’ Cisar said to the publication.
His kids have been attending the school for three years, and over this period, the cumulative exposure exacerbates the health impacts.
Additional lead screening opportunities are now accessible within the city, including at North Division High School. Staff members stationed there can potentially screen around 300 students for lead exposure.
The group Lead Free Schools informed
Fox News
affiliate: ‘Unless the district, city, and state take preemptive action to tackle the underlying issues causing lead exposure, these testing clinics will serve more as symbolic gestures rather than effective measures.’
They ought to concentrate on generating significant improvements to stop children from encountering lead exposure initially.
The water in Milwaukee schools has also shown elevated levels of lead, which could impact children using drinking fountains and restroom sinks.
Lead can be toxic when breathed in, touched, or swallowed.
The tests indicated that neither sample contained levels exceeding the EPA’s threshold for ‘actionable’ contamination, which is 15 parts per billion. Nevertheless, any level of lead exposure is considered unsafe, particularly with prolonged contact.
The city would generally rely on federal government-funded remediation efforts, starting with input from the CDC.
But the Trump Administration has slashed about 10,000 jobs from the sprawling Department of Health and Human Services, which
includes 20 percent of the CDC’s staff
.
In March, the city’s health department officially asked for help from the CDC.
The agency has the ability to distribute grants to the health department via the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program for financing inspections, carrying out remediation tasks like removing lead-painted surfaces, and launching public awareness initiatives.
The CDC additionally provides technical assistance for assessing lead levels in both blood tests and water samples, ensuring safe cleanup procedures, and educating public health officers, school personnel, and environmental auditors on how to manage risks efficiently and securely.
However, the CDC’s leading specialists in lead poisoning have been let go, and the department has been significantly weakened.
Dr. Michael Totoraitis, the Milwaukee health commissioner, stated: “The ‘bat phone’ doesn’t exist anymore. I am unable to reach out to my counterparts at the CDC regarding issues of lead poisoning.”
Lead is omnipresent in Milwaukee, especially in economically disadvantaged areas.
A significant number of structures were constructed during the 1800s and early 1900s, a period when it was frequently used in paints and piping materials.
In the 1970s, lead was prohibited because multiple generations had already been exposed.
Kristen Payne, a parent whose eldest child goes to Golda Meir school where a student has tested positive, shared her experience with this situation.
New York Times
‘Honestly, I simply assumed that there had been proper maintenance of the facilities, particularly given what was occurring with Covid.’
‘I was genuinely astonished by how widespread this issue turned out to be.’
Lisa Lucas, whose daughter attends an elementary school that has been closed for lead remediation, added: ‘Everybody in Milwaukee is aware of lead.
‘There’s lead paint in almost all of the schools and buildings. And nobody has really stepped up, either in the city or the state legislature, to make our city safer and healthier for everybody. That’s the most frustrating part of it.’
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