{"id":2279,"date":"2025-05-09T11:42:38","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T11:42:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/09\/in-a-city-burdened-by-health-hazards-of-lead-theyre-trying-to-repair-school-buildings-and-public-trust\/"},"modified":"2025-05-09T11:42:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T11:42:38","slug":"in-a-city-burdened-by-health-hazards-of-lead-theyre-trying-to-repair-school-buildings-and-public-trust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/09\/in-a-city-burdened-by-health-hazards-of-lead-theyre-trying-to-repair-school-buildings-and-public-trust\/","title":{"rendered":"In a city burdened by health hazards of lead, they\u2019re trying to repair school buildings and public trust"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/action-bar\/instances\/cmag7bfgc000r26qjd5oz584d@published\" data-label-id-prefix=\"action-bar-start-of-article\" class=\"action-bar\" data-dynamic-breakpoint-placement=\"{&quot;extraLarge&quot;:{&quot;placement&quot;:&quot;.layout-article-elevate__left&quot;}}\" data-expand-conditions=\"{&quot;follow&quot;:{&quot;extraLarge&quot;:{&quot;alwaysExpand&quot;:true}},&quot;shareOptions&quot;:{&quot;large&quot;:{&quot;maxNumOfActions&quot;:1},&quot;medium&quot;:{&quot;maxNumOfActions&quot;:1},&quot;extraLarge&quot;:{&quot;withAction&quot;:&quot;follow&quot;,&quot;maxNumOfActions&quot;:2}}}\">\n<div class=\"action-bar__overlay\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"action-bar__action-sheet\">\n<div class=\"action-bar__action-sheet--header\">\n<div class=\"action-bar__action-sheet--header-title\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"action-bar__action-sheet--header-close\">                            <\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"action-bar__action-sheet--action\" data-title=\"follow\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/follow-topics-bar\/instances\/cmag7bfgc000v26qjcf7o7r9p@published\" data-unauth-redirect=\"\/account\/register\/follow\" data-embed-max-topics=\"\" class=\"follow-topics-bar follow-topics-bar_overlay follow-topics-bar--hide\">\n<div class=\"follow-topics-bar_overlay__inner\">\n<div class=\"follow-topics-bar_overlay__scroll-wrapper\">                  <button data-unselectable=\"true\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/chip\/instances\/cmag7bfgc000w26qjdba2bggy@published\" class=\"chip follow-topics-chip \" data-component-variation=\"follow-topics-chip\" data-component-name=\"chip\" data-zjs=\"click\" data-enable-interstitial=\"true\" data-override-success=\"\" data-label=\"Pollution\" data-id=\"cd964011-8508-43b6-9365-7bf21f9b7c7e\" data-reset-on-log-out=\"true\">    <span class=\"chip__label\">Pollution<\/span>    <span class=\"chip__icon\">        <span class=\"chip__icon--check\"><\/span>        <span class=\"chip__icon--add\"><\/span>    <\/span><\/button>                  <button data-unselectable=\"true\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/chip\/instances\/cmag7bfgc000w26qjdba2bggy@published\" class=\"chip follow-topics-chip \" data-component-variation=\"follow-topics-chip\" data-component-name=\"chip\" data-zjs=\"click\" data-enable-interstitial=\"true\" data-override-success=\"\" data-label=\"Environmental disease\" data-id=\"c4382742-0074-43a9-8251-082cec288514\" data-reset-on-log-out=\"true\">    <span class=\"chip__label\">Environmental disease<\/span>    <span class=\"chip__icon\">        <span class=\"chip__icon--check\"><\/span>        <span class=\"chip__icon--add\"><\/span>    <\/span><\/button>                  <button data-unselectable=\"true\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/chip\/instances\/cmag7bfgc000w26qjdba2bggy@published\" class=\"chip follow-topics-chip \" data-component-variation=\"follow-topics-chip\" data-component-name=\"chip\" data-zjs=\"click\" data-enable-interstitial=\"true\" data-override-success=\"\" data-label=\"Student life\" data-id=\"24b4bba8-04a8-4fd9-8645-e5ca4f1d94ac\" data-reset-on-log-out=\"true\">    <span class=\"chip__label\">Student life<\/span>    <span class=\"chip__icon\">        <span class=\"chip__icon--check\"><\/span>        <span class=\"chip__icon--add\"><\/span>    <\/span><\/button>        <\/div>\n<div class=\"follow-topics-bar_overlay__fade follow-topics-bar_overlay__fade--hide\"><\/div>\n<p>                      See all topics              <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"action-bar__action-sheet--action\" data-title=\"share options\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/social-share\/instances\/cmag7bfgc000u26qjaojyapk9@published\" class=\"social-share_labelled-list\">\n<div class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links vossi-social-share_labelled-list\" data-type=\"share-links\">        <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=80401312489&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2025%2F05%2F09%2Fhealth%2Fmilwaukee-lead-crisis-schools&amp;display=popup\" data-type=\"facebook\" aria-label=\"share with facebook\" title=\"Share with Facebook\">                                <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Facebook<\/span>        <\/button>        <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Check%20out%20this%20article%3A&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2025%2F05%2F09%2Fhealth%2Fmilwaukee-lead-crisis-schools\" data-type=\"x\" aria-label=\"share with x\" title=\"Share with X\">                                <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Tweet<\/span>        <\/button>                                        <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Email<\/span>                <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/05\/09\/health\/milwaukee-lead-crisis-schools\" data-type=\"copy\" aria-label=\"copy link to clipboard\" title=\"Copy link to clipboard\">                                <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Link<\/span>        <\/button>        <\/p>\n<div class=\"social-share_labelled-list__copied\" data-type=\"message\">                        Link Copied!        <\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>    <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__open\" data-type=\"open\" aria-label=\"open social share\" title=\"Open social share\">            <\/button>    <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__close\" data-type=\"close\" aria-label=\"close social share\" title=\"Close social share\">            <\/button><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"action-bar__buttons\">            <button class=\"action-bar__button\" data-title=\"follow\">                                        Follow            <\/button>            <button class=\"action-bar__button\" data-title=\"share options\">                                <\/button>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/source\/instances\/cmag7bfgc000s26qj1je5cf7z@published\" data-component-name=\"source\" class=\"source-elevate inline-placeholder\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">    <cite class=\"source__cite\">      <span class=\"source__location\" data-editable=\"location\">Milwaukee<\/span>        &nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;    <\/cite><\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7bfgc000t26qj924obli1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            As workers set up stations at North Division High School\u2019s cafeteria to test children\u2019s blood for lead, a group of frustrated parents and community activists gathered just outside the main entrance. They carried handmade signs: \u201cMilwaukee\u2013Beer, Cheese, and Lead Poisoning\u201d and \u201cTest All Schools for Lead Now.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7c8ua00033b6mhwe39ysy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            After a child was found to have lead poisoning from peeling lead paint in a local elementary school early this year, the district began closing buildings and temporarily relocating students. It launched a plan to inspect, clean and repaint more than 100 schools by the end of the year, much of it during the summer.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7c8ua00043b6mj3vbz9em@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            For the crowd gathered outside, it\u2019s not enough.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7c8ua00053b6mm7r4z1bx@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cThis lead crisis is not a new crisis,\u201d said Melody McCurtis, deputy director of a local organization called Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, a grassroots effort to revitalize one of the city\u2019s Northside neighborhoods.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7c8ua00063b6m5y7vwktq@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cMilwaukee is full of lead, whether it\u2019s in your homes, whether it\u2019s in your schools, whether it\u2019s in your drinking water,\u201d she said at the news conference.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7c8ua00073b6mc7vw1agr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            This year was the first time the city has confirmed that a child was poisoned by lead from a school, but the people of Milwaukee know it\u2019s not the city\u2019s first problem with the potent neurotoxin. The city has fumbled its response before, leaving residents wary of new promises.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7c8ua00083b6mwspr7lf5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Even as the city\u2019s health department and school district work to clean and repaint aging schools, they\u2019re having to rebuild public trust.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmag8p4qh00053b6mdm4kj86q@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"AlbanV_20250506_CNN_MKELead_45.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2000\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/albanv-20250506-cnn-mkelead-45.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">The Golda Meir School, where a student was found to have an elevated blood lead level linked to peeling paint, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">Vincent Alban for CNN<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7c8ua00093b6mrf5duxws@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            And as of last month, they\u2019re doing it without federal help: Lead experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who had been working with the city were cut during a massive wave of layoffs by the Trump administration. US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy suggested that they would be reinstated, but so far, they have not been.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7c8ua000a3b6m07h3fy0k@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The unprecedented loss of federal support brought a national spotlight to the crisis in schools. But many families say the latest efforts to clean and repaint old buildings, though well-intentioned, are only a Band-aid. They\u2019re covering up the lead, not getting it out of schools completely.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7c8ua000b3b6mtrkc1jlf@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cWe have had crisis after crisis every few years, and we have heard similar kind of things from city leadership throughout that time,\u201d said Derek Beyer, a former teacher with Milwaukee Public Schools, who spoke for the Get the Lead Out Coalition. \u201cIt\u2019s been kind of, in my opinion, a game of pass the buck rather than just remove the lead.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7c8ua000c3b6mwb1i8m0j@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            People like him believe that the city\u2019s old infrastructure will continue to cause harm for generations to come.    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder subheader-elevate\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cmag7ccj6000f3b6m57nptxgk@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"lingering-threat-of-lead\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">        Lingering threat of lead<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7biva00003b6mms8pixja@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Like other major cities in America\u2019s Rust Belt, Milwaukee has long been burdened by lead. Because it\u2019s cheap and easy to bend, it was used to make pipes that carried municipal drinking water. It was added to paint to make it dry faster and last longer and mixed into gasoline to reduce engine knock in cars.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7d0zr000k3b6mjrf27m3r@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            These uses for lead have long been banned, but the threat of its toxicity remains. It can still leach out of pipes, flake off walls and surface in soil. Even small amounts can damage a child\u2019s brain function, affecting their behavior, IQ and self-control.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7d0zr000l3b6mbqfxufsg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Each year, about 1,000 children in Milwaukee test positive for lead poisoning, which the CDC defines as at or above 3.5 micrograms per deciliter of lead in the blood. Roughly 15 have to be hospitalized for acute symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation and seizures. About 200 have blood lead levels over 15, which triggers a health department investigation to determine the source.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmag8s3rq00073b6mzittxd8i@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"AlbanV_20250506_CNN_MKELead_23.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2000\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/albanv-20250506-cnn-mkelead-23.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Chemist Jeremiah Erickson holds vials of dissolved lead swabs at the City of Milwaukee Health Department. Swabs are one way investigators check surfaces in buildings for lead.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">Vincent Alban for CNN<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7d0zr000m3b6mq6kuus86@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Most often, they\u2019re poisoned by lead paint in deteriorating homes. In January, for the first time, the health department determined that a child had been poisoned not at home but by peeling paint in the basement of one of the city\u2019s elementary schools.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7d0zr000n3b6mqt6vjihx@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Many of Milwaukee\u2019s schools had gone without regular painting and maintenance for years: A report submitted to the Wisconsin legislature last year showed that the schools needed more than $250 million in deferred maintenance. Meanwhile, the old lead paint created a fresh hazard as it chalked and flaked off the walls.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7d0zr000o3b6melp8mwqc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Kat Cisar, who has twins in the first grade at the Trowbridge Street School of Great Lakes Studies, found out that the school was abruptly closing and that students would be relocated in an email that came at 7:36 p.m. on a Thursday in March, giving parents and school officials only days to adjust.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7d0zr000p3b6mfsem8f7y@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            As parents dropped off their students at a building 5 miles away from their old school on the next Monday,  they had no idea how long they would be displaced or whether a student at their school had been poisoned.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7d0zr000q3b6mifnoxs6r@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cWhat happened behind the scenes was a lot of confusion and a lot of uncertainty,\u201d Cisar said the community event on Wednesday. Principals and teachers didn\u2019t have any more information than parents did, she said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7d0zr000r3b6mnf3xqg84@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Cisar said parents would like to see better communication from the district, including text alerts if a child at a certain school tests positive for an elevated lead level. They also want school principals to be kept in the loop so they can share timely updates with parents.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7d0zr000s3b6m4zog0o4u@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Trowbridge was closed for almost two weeks. Other school buildings have been closed for months. Parents say they have no idea how long the hazards existed before action was taken.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7d0zr000t3b6m40e7ph3s@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius, who assumed her post in mid-March as the crisis was already unfolding, says schools in the district have been underfunded and individual principals were forced to make impossible choices.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmag8tp7b00013b6mfofk1fsn@published\" class=\"image_expandable-elevate portrait image_expandable__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_expandable\" data-name=\"AlbanV_20250506_CNN_MKELead_20.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_expandable--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_expandable--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_expandable--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"1.5\" data-original-height=\"4500\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/albanv-20250506-cnn-mkelead-20.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_expandable__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_expandable\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_expandable--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_expandable--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_expandable--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image_expandable__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image_expandable__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image_expandable__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Chipped paint on the facade of Westside Academy, a school currently closed due to lead hazards.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image_expandable__credit\">Vincent Alban for CNN<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmag8uuu000033b6mckbspqnh@published\" class=\"image_expandable-elevate portrait image_expandable__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_expandable\" data-name=\"AlbanV_20250506_CNN_MKELead_11_CROP02.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_expandable--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_expandable--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_expandable--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"1.5\" data-original-height=\"4500\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/albanv-20250506-cnn-mkelead-11-crop02.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_expandable__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_expandable\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_expandable--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_expandable--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_expandable--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image_expandable__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image_expandable__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image_expandable__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Dr. Brenda Cassellius, superintendent of the Milwaukee Public Schools, assumed her post in March as the crisis was already unfolding.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image_expandable__credit\">Vincent Alban for CNN<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7d0zr000v3b6msjqphqzs@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Going forward, Cassellius said, the district will assume the cost of school repairs so they aren\u2019t shouldered by individual schools. So far, the district has spent nearly $2 million to clean and repaint seven schools, and remediation will start on two more this month.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7d0zr000w3b6mxlga2yzu@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Cassellius estimates that it could cost as much as $20 million from the district\u2019s reserve funds.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7d0zr000x3b6m42fwb9g7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            That may stave off the crisis, but it won\u2019t be the last of the city\u2019s lead problems.    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder subheader-elevate\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cmag7d4l6000z3b6m7rww9owx@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"toxic-housing\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">        Toxic housing<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7cjzp000i3b6mt2r080iw@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Tracy Hampton, a 34-year-old mother of three who was born and raised in Milwaukee, has been trying to keep her kids away from lead for nearly a decade.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e00143b6mx8dgsx5w@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            When her oldest son, Prince, was a toddler, a test showed that he had a lead level of 27, which prompted his doctor to prescribe iron drops to help reduce the body\u2019s absorption of lead. Hampton was told to wipe down toys and surfaces in their home and make sure he was eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods to counteract the damaging effects of the heavy metal.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e00153b6ms246gqun@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            But a few months later, a routine blood test showed that he had a blood lead level of 45, more than 11 times higher than the CDC\u2019s threshold for lead poisoning.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e00163b6m65nstqtq@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cThe doctor told me to take him to the hospital immediately, and that\u2019s what I did,\u201d Hampton said, recalling the 2016 ordeal. Dr. Kristine Davison, a pediatrician at Children\u2019s Hospital of Wisconsin who has been the family\u2019s doctor for years, confirmed the details of the family\u2019s blood lead levels for this story.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e00173b6mkk0zzaqz@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            An X-ray at the hospital revealed bright flecks of white in his stomach, a sign that he\u2019d eaten chips of lead-based paint. He ran a high fever, vomited and had a seizure, and doctors worked to flush as much lead as they could from his body.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e00183b6mologzm52@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Around the same time, the city\u2019s health department dropped the ball on lead investigations. An audit of the department\u2019s records in 2018 failed to find any evidence that it had notified some 6,000 families that their children had elevated levels of lead in their blood.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmag8x3wg00013b6m33tuu7u2@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"AlbanV_20250506_CNN_MKELead_59.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2000\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/albanv-20250506-cnn-mkelead-59.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Tracy Hampton&#8217;s son Prince, age 10, was hospitalized for severe lead poisoning as a toddler. Health department testing found that the home where they stayed frequently was full of lead.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">Vincent Alban for CNN<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e00193b6mrm8ectb1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Further investigation showed that the department bungled follow-up care too, failing to investigate the sources of lead exposure for some children. Other instances found that some children\u2019s cases were closed early, before there was evidence that their lead levels had returned to normal.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e001a3b6mm1ub2szj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The failures affected cases going to back to 2015.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e001b3b6m17ka9m4o@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The health commissioner at the time was forced to resign. The state and federal governments launched investigations into the health department\u2019s handling of lead poisonings.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e001c3b6mu1ol4ov6@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            It\u2019s not clear whether Hampton\u2019s family was among those that fell through the cracks. She had been spending nights at her mother\u2019s house for help with her active toddler, and she says the Milwaukee Department of Health tested the rental home and found that the windows and floors were loaded with lead.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e001d3b6mbc7o325l@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cIt was really old,\u201d Hampton said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e001e3b6mqa5zvomy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Her mother\u2019s rental home sits on the city\u2019s north side. Between 2018 and 2021, nearly 1 in 5 children who lived in that neighborhood had elevated levels of lead in their blood, according to data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e001f3b6me38jnyhx@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            After Hampton limited the amount of time she spent at her mother\u2019s place and stopped spending the night, Prince\u2019s lead levels began to come down.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e001g3b6m2ihoh052@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            In 2022, Hampton moved her family into a different rental home. Prince\u2019s lead levels continued to be elevated, hovering around 6.5. His baby sister, Idanna, also tested over the CDC\u2019s threshold for lead poisoning for the first time.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e001h3b6mzokl6sll@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            That house, too, was tested and found to be full of lead paint.    <\/p>\n<p>&lt;div data-uri=&quot;cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-resource\/instances\/cmagaa0tm00063b6m5h0n3xs6@published&quot; data-component-name=&quot;video-resource&quot; data-editable=&quot;settings&quot; class=&quot;video-resource-elevate&quot; data-fixed-ratio=&quot;16&#215;9&quot; data-parent-uri=&quot;cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-resource\/instances\/cmaepfb7100003b6m5zxthet8@published&quot; data-video-id=&quot;me7758e95824d789abd02e629c65a7c21d472e7f81&quot; data-media-id=&quot;me7758e95824d789abd02e629c65a7c21d472e7f81&quot; data-live=&quot;&quot; data-analytics-aggregate-events=&quot;true&quot; data-custom-experience=&quot;&quot; data-asset-type=&quot;hlsTs&quot; data-auth-type=&quot;none&quot; data-content-type=&quot;mediasource-clip&quot; data-medium-env=&quot;&quot; data-autostart=&quot;unmuted&quot; data-show-ads=&quot;true&quot; data-source=&quot;CNN&quot; data-featured-video=&quot;true&quot; data-headline=&quot;What caused Milwaukee&#039;s school lead crisis?&quot; data-has-video-player=&quot;true&quot; data-description=&quot;<\/p>\n<p>CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta travels to Milwaukee, where several school buildings have closed due to aging paint that exposed children to lead, a neurotoxin.<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-duration=&#8221;03:54&#8243; data-source-html=&#8221;<span class=\"&quot;video-resource__source&quot;\"> &#8211; Source:                            <a target=\"&quot;_self&quot;\" href=\"\/\/www.cnn.com\/&quot;\" class=\"&quot;video-resource__source-url&quot;\">CNN<\/a>    <\/span>&#8221; data-fave-thumbnails=&#8221;{&quot;big&quot;: { &quot;uri&quot;: &quot;https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/milwaukee-lead-school-closures-gupta-image3.jpg?c=16&#215;9&quot; }, &quot;small&quot;: { &quot;uri&quot;: &quot;https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/milwaukee-lead-school-closures-gupta-image3.jpg?c=16&#215;9&quot; }  }&#8221; data-vr-video=&#8221;false&#8221; data-show-html=&#8221;<!-- unable to render partial show without a supplied context -->&#8221; data-byline-html=&#8221;<\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"&quot;cms.cnn.com\/_components\/byline\/instances\/cmaepfble00063b6m6toawou5@published&quot;\" data-component-name=\"&quot;byline&quot;\" class=\"&quot;byline-elevate\" data-editable=\"&quot;settings&quot;\">\n<div class=\"&quot;byline__authors\">By <\/p>\n<div class=\"&quot;byline__author&quot;\"><a class=\"&quot;byline__image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/sanjay-gupta-profile\"><span><\/span><\/a><a class=\"&quot;byline__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/sanjay-gupta-profile\"><span class=\"&quot;byline__name&quot;\">Dr. Sanjay Gupta<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<p>, <\/p>\n<div class=\"&quot;byline__author&quot;\"><a class=\"&quot;byline__image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/bryce-p-urbany\"><span><\/span><\/a><a class=\"&quot;byline__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/bryce-p-urbany\"><span class=\"&quot;byline__name&quot;\">Bryce Urbany<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<p>, Deborah Brunswick and <\/p>\n<div class=\"&quot;byline__author&quot;\"><a class=\"&quot;byline__image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/john-bonifield\"><span><\/span><\/a><a class=\"&quot;byline__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/john-bonifield\"><span class=\"&quot;byline__name&quot;\">John Bonifield<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8221; data-timestamp-html=&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"&quot;timestamp-elevate\" data-uri=\"&quot;cms.cnn.com\/_components\/timestamp\/instances\/cmaepfbmo00073b6mwlqdoryx@published&quot;\" data-editable=\"&quot;settings&quot;\">\n<div class=\"&quot;timestamp__container&quot;\">              <span class=\"&quot;timestamp__time-since&quot;\" data-first-publish=\"&quot;2025-05-09T10:00:53.694Z&quot;\" data-last-publish=\"&quot;2025-05-09T10:00:53.694Z&quot;\"><\/span>              <span class=\"&quot;timestamp__expand-btn&quot;\"><\/span>          <\/div>\n<div class=\"&quot;timestamp__details&quot;\">\n<div class=\"&quot;timestamp__published&quot;\">PUBLISHED May 9, 2025, 6:00 AM ET<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8221; data-check-event-based-preview=&#8221;&#8221; data-is-vertical-video-embed=&#8221;false&#8221; data-network-id=&#8221;&#8221; data-publish-date=&#8221;2025-05-08T02:33:19.669Z&#8221; data-video-section=&#8221;health&#8221; data-canonical-url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/05\/07\/health\/video\/milwaukee-lead-school-closures-gupta-digvid&#8221; data-branding-key=&#8221;&#8221; data-video-slug=&#8221;milwaukee-lead-school-closures-gupta-digvid&#8221; data-first-publish-slug=&#8221;milwaukee-lead-school-closures-gupta-digvid&#8221; data-video-tags=&#8221;&#8221; data-breakpoints=&#8221;{&quot;video-resource&#8211;media-extra-large&quot;: 660}&#8221; data-display-video-cover=&#8221;true&#8221; data-details=&#8221;&#8221;&gt;                                        <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-feedback-link-container\">\n<div data-ad-type=\"VIDEO\" data-ad-identifier=\"\" class=\"ad-feedback-link\">\n<div class=\"ad-feedback-link__label\">Video Ad Feedback<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"video-resource__details\">\n<div data-editable=\"headline\" class=\"video-resource__headline inline-placeholder\">What caused Milwaukee&#8217;s school lead crisis?                <\/div>\n<div class=\"video-resource__credit\">                            <span class=\"video-resource__duration\">                                3:54                            <\/span>                            <span class=\"video-resource__source\"> &#8211; Source:                            CNN    <\/span>                    <\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"video-resource__cover\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmaepfbnn00083b6m8v6y4dsr@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"milwaukee-lead-school-closures-gupta-image3.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1920\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/milwaukee-lead-school-closures-gupta-image3.jpg?c=original\" data-unselectable=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata\"><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"video-resource__overlay\">\n<div class=\"video-resource__controls\">\n<div class=\"video-resource__playhead spinner\">                                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"video-resource__info\">\n<div class=\"video-resource__chyron-wrapper invisible\">\n<div class=\"video-resource__chyron\">What caused Milwaukee&#8217;s school lead crisis?<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"video-resource__runtime\">3:54     <span class=\"video-resource__source\">    <\/span> <\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e001i3b6milp4xhq2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            In Milwaukee, 88% of homes were built before 1978, when it was still legal to use lead-based paint. Dr. Mike Totoraitis, the city\u2019s health commissioner, estimates that about 200,000 housing units in the city may still be affected by it, based on their age.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e001j3b6m4h3vbh0a@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cUnfortunately, the majority of the poisonings that we have in our city are in the poorest housing stock of our city,\u201d he said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7du1e001k3b6melf311rt@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Since their industrial heydays, many Midwest cities have seen their urban populations shrink. Practices like redlining contributed by concentrating Black populations in some of the poorest neighborhoods, which were then spurned by investors. As a result, homes and municipal buildings have aged and deteriorated but were not torn down and replaced.    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder subheader-elevate\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cmag7e0sz001m3b6mtnvikkjo@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"rebuilding-trust\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">        Rebuilding trust<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7ddey00123b6m06p3d6pt@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            If there was a silver lining to the scrutiny of Milwaukee\u2019s lax lead response in 2018, it was that the health department\u2019s lead program was completely rebuilt and strengthened.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07001r3b6m5mpc4kty@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cThat\u2019s frankly how we\u2019re able to respond to this whole crisis at the schools,\u201d said Totoraitis, who joined the department in 2023.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmag90qh500033b6m8g0wd2g0@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"AlbanV_20250506_CNN_MKELead_34.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2000\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/albanv-20250506-cnn-mkelead-34.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Lead samples are tested at the Milwaukee Health Department on Tuesday.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">Vincent Alban for CNN<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmag90sou00053b6ml65biyjm@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"AlbanV_20250506_CNN_MKELead_29.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2000\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/albanv-20250506-cnn-mkelead-29.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Dr. Michael Totoraitis, Milwaukee&#8217;s commissioner of health, says the health department is able to respond to the lead crisis in schools because its lead program was rebuilt in 2018, after state and federal investigations found deficiencies in its handling of lead poisoning cases.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">Vincent Alban for CNN<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07001s3b6mven31apj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            When news of the student poisoning broke this year, the health department set up a dedicated website where it has posted photos of affected schools, inspection reports and letters to parents. It has held regular news briefings and town halls. Totoraitis said it\u2019s also working to create a dashboard so parents can have more insight into the results of student blood tests.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07001t3b6m5zz6cxca@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Under pressure from angry parents, the school district parted ways with its facilities manager. The director of the health department\u2019s home environmental health program has been loaned to the district to fill that role as abatement on the buildings continues.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07001u3b6mx4nsjh7k@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Totoraitis knows that the community remembers \u2014 and that shades the department\u2019s assurances to the public now.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07001v3b6my5vquo7o@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cThrough that moment in our department\u2019s history to where we are now, we have always leaned into the issues that we\u2019ve seen in our city, in particular with our lead program, and I think that\u2019s helped to rebuild some of the trust that we lost, rightly so, with the community,\u201d Totoraitis said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07001w3b6m099wdle4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            At Trowbridge Street School, it\u2019s clear that Room 13 \u2013 home to Mr. Koney\u2019s Kindergarten Superheroes \u2013 has gotten a recent facelift.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07001x3b6mipeiqe79@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Photos taken during the health department\u2019s inspection showed bookshelves with cracked and peeling paint sitting close to the ground, but the wood is now sanded smooth and painted over. A hallway with hooks for kids\u2019 backpacks now has blotches of fresh paint just a shade lighter than the old blue underneath. Cracks in the walls outside the classroom have been sealed with a white caulk-like substance. The wooden floors of the 129-year-old building gleam with fresh polish.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmag944b100013b6m4oj4e6tl@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"AlbanV_20250506_CNN_MKELead_10.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2000\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/albanv-20250506-cnn-mkelead-10.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">The Trowbridge School of Great Lake Studies was closed for lead hazard remediation and cleaning and later reopened.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">Vincent Alban for CNN<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07001y3b6mxbjiqcoz@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cIt\u2019s almost a hospital-level clean that we\u2019re needing to do to clear the swabs,\u201d Cassellius said, referring to how the health department tests to make sure there\u2019s no lead dust lingering on surfaces.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07001z3b6mybu2t8q2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The department said the lead has been contained at Trowbridge, for now.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd0700203b6mewhph443@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            But some parents say argue that it doesn\u2019t address faucets where water has tested high for lead or soil around the schools. A soil sample at a playground at Golda Meir School surpassed the state\u2019s action level for lead but not a level set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd0700213b6m6v7d52n7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cThis is an inadequate response that we\u2019re having at all levels of government here that we\u2019re fighting back, and we\u2019re kind of banding together and figuring out how we can force some of these institutions to do the right thing,\u201d said Kristen Payne, whose son is a third-grader at Golda Meir, the site of the initial poisoning case.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd0700223b6mp5q68nsr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The health department and school district say that drinking water sources in schools are safe. The district has installed filtered water dispensers in schools, and any sinks that have been found to have elevated lead levels are supposed to be labeled as not for drinking.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd0700233b6mpyb9tw9x@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Totoraitis says that with strained resources, the city has to focus on lead hazards that are known to have poisoned students. For now, that\u2019s the paint.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd0700243b6mqnjfgcky@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            But he\u2019s asking for money to hire four more people to help him respond to community complaints of chipping paint or other potential hazards before they poison anyone. He could also then inspect school buildings regularly to make sure the district is following its plans to mitigate lead.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd0700253b6mm9bm90yp@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Health officials are encouraging parents of students at affected schools to get them tested for lead. With 68,000 students in the district \u2014 most of them beyond the age when they\u2019d get regular lead testing at a pediatrician\u2019s office \u2014 the city has been trying create more testing opportunities.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd0700263b6m9qrbtzii@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Inside North Division High School on Wednesday, the district hosted a lead testing clinic that would give parents near-instant feedback on whether a child might have a high level of lead in their system.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd0700273b6m2gi30lt3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            An earlier clinic tested about 250 kids, but only 22 were tested Wednesday. Of those, two had elevated blood lead levels and will require more testing.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmag9654400033b6mocnh02fi@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"AlbanV_20250506_CNN_MKELead_33.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2000\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/albanv-20250506-cnn-mkelead-33.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Jeremiah Erickson, a chemist, tests lead samples at the Milwaukee Health Department. The city has a plan to investigate lead risks in dozens of school buildings in the months ahead.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">Vincent Alban for CNN<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder subheader-elevate\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cmag86pzk00022e6as9c7usaq@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"making-schools-and-homes-safer-for-kids\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">        Making schools and homes safer for kids<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd0700293b6m4c2fvpfi@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            For now, given the funding they have, the schools and health department say, they can clean up chipped lead paint in homes and schools and seal it under new paint. They can make a building lead-safe but not truly lead-free.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07002a3b6m4av9kzho@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            If the repairs are not maintained, the threat will eventually be back.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07002b3b6m0onj9ed8@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cIt\u2019s a constant cleaning, a constant upkeep, a constant painting. And it is expensive,\u201d Cassellius said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07002c3b6ma9x21a75@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            At some point, trying to maintain Milwaukee\u2019s aging schools \u2013 some of which are more than 100 years old \u2013 simply won\u2019t be sustainable or safe anymore.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07002d3b6mnidw8d1n@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            There is some federal help coming for homes in Milwaukee. Totoraitis said the city recently got federal funding to remediate 600, but each project has cost much more than anticipated. In the end, he said, they\u2019ll probably be able to clean up 450 homes.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07002e3b6mw54uujf1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Helping a single home can have an impact, though.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07002f3b6mer2gn8qb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Prince, who is now 10 and in fourth grade, has trouble reading and writing and needs remedial help in school. He\u2019s also been diagnosed with ADHD. His mother, Tracy Hampton, said doctors have told her that his issues were probably caused by his exposure to lead.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07002g3b6m9bidj13c@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Hampton moved again in 2023, this time into a house that she said was tested and shown to have no lead issues.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07002h3b6moekuss65@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            This year, for the first time since he was a baby, Prince\u2019s blood lead level has fallen into the normal range again, Hampton said. His sister, who turns 3 next week, is in the normal range, too.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07002i3b6mk4f5ar5t@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Hampton hopes her story will motivate the city to proactively test more homes and schools for lead and not wait until more children are harmed.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmag7fd07002j3b6mkml20nxc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cWe need our kids to live, to be smart, to be intelligent, to do what they want to be in life,\u201d she said. \u201cNot to grow up with a disability.\u201d    <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div>This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pollution Environmental disease Student life See all topics Facebook Tweet Email Link Link Copied! Follow Milwaukee &nbsp;\u2014&nbsp; As workers set up stations at North Division High School\u2019s cafeteria to test children\u2019s blood for lead, a group of frustrated parents and community activists gathered just outside the main entrance. They carried handmade signs: \u201cMilwaukee\u2013Beer, Cheese, and &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"loftocean_post_primary_category":0,"loftocean_post_format_gallery":"","loftocean_post_format_gallery_ids":"","loftocean_post_format_gallery_urls":"","loftocean_post_format_video_id":0,"loftocean_post_format_video_url":"","loftocean_post_format_video_type":"","loftocean_post_format_video":"","loftocean_post_format_audio_type":"","loftocean_post_format_audio_url":"","loftocean_post_format_audio_id":0,"loftocean_post_format_audio":"","loftocean-featured-post":"","loftocean-like-count":0,"loftocean-view-count":394,"tinysalt_single_post_intro_label":"","tinysalt_single_post_intro_description":"","tinysalt_hide_post_featured_image":"","tinysalt_post_featured_media_position":"","tinysalt_single_site_header_source":"","tinysalt_single_custom_site_header":"0","tinysalt_single_custom_sticky_site_header":"0","tinysalt_single_custom_sticky_site_header_style":"sticky-scroll-up","tinysalt_single_site_footer_source":"","tinysalt_single_custom_site_footer":"0","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2279\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}