A family’s story
Talisha Kazee did not fully understand the dangers of lead paint until one of her children experienced lead poisoning last year. During a routine checkup, her youngest son, Kayden, tested high for blood lead levels.
“His levels were always a little higher than we liked, but the test showed they had skyrocketed.”
State law requires the reporting of all residents’ blood lead test results to DHS. When MHD receives notice of a child with an Elevated Blood Lead Level (EBLL) within its jurisdiction, program staff begin an environmental investigation to identify and abate lead hazards within the home.
By law, all blood lead tests in Wisconsin are reported to DHS. MHD was notified of Kayden’s elevated blood lead levels and began an environmental investigation to identify and remove lead hazards in their home.
Kazee’s house, built in 1910 in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood was found to have toxic levels of lead paint throughout. Over seven months, MHD specialists worked with Kazee to remove the lead hazards and restore Kayden’s health.
“It was a lot of people, like six or seven, swabbing doorknobs, floors, and windowsills. They even tested the soil around the house,” Kazee said. “To see them put plastic over everything, I was like, ‘Oh shoot, this is for real!’”
MHD inspectors found high lead levels in the basement, bedrooms, pantry, soil, and on gutters. A team of lead risk assessors and nurses oversaw the remediation process. After several repairs, including replacing windows and stabilizing walls, the home was declared lead-safe by the spring of 2024.
“I really appreciated how the nurse assigned to our case walked me through what to expect through the whole process. I knew about lead before, but after going through all this, I feel like I have a much better understanding of the dangers that come with lead paint,” Kazee said. “It was nerve-wracking, but I’m glad we went through with it.”
Widespread problem
Kazee’s case is one of hundreds reported annually in Milwaukee, primarily due to the city's aging housing stock. In 2023, the blood lead levels of more than 1,000 Milwaukee children tested at or above 3.5μg/dL, which is higher than 97% of kids across the country. Of those, over 200 had elevated blood lead levels requiring investigations and abatement, and 12 required chelation therapy, a medical treatment to help the body flush out heavy metals.
For each investigation, lead paint or soil was identified as the primary source, often in the child's home or another frequently visited location.
“People think of water when they hear about lead, but in Milwaukee, the biggest concern is lead paint, especially from windows,” said Andre Mitchell, Investigations Manager for MHD’s Home Environmental Health (HEH) program. “Opening and closing windows can release lead dust, particularly in the summer.”
MHD officials agree that lead paint is the most prevalent and dangerous threat to young children under 6 in Milwaukee.
“As lead-based paint breaks down, it turns into fine dust particles that are invisible but extremely dangerous. Lead is most toxic when it is inhaled. When the lead dust is inhaled, almost all of it gets absorbed into the body,’ said Weber. “Lead in water is certainly a concern that we address with Milwaukee Water Works, but it’s lead paint and the dust from that paint that sends our children to the hospitals.”
Milwaukee Water Works is working to reduce lead in drinking water through a program to replace roughly 65,000 remaining lead service lines. To learn more, click here: Lead Service Line Replacement Program
“Infants and toddlers are at the highest risk because they’re constantly on the floor where lead dust settles. Their natural hand-to-mouth behavior increases their chances of exposure,” Weber explained.
To ensure homes are safe, MHD only issues clearance after confirming, through lab testing, that lead dust has been cleaned to federal standards.
Addressing the crisis
Lead poisoning is a generational issue in Milwaukee, explained Holly Nannis, Public Health Nurse Supervisor for MHD’s HEH program.
“We have parents who were exposed to lead as children, and now they are passing it on to their own kids in utero,” Nannis said. "The long-term effects include developmental delays, speech problems, and harm to the brain and nervous system."
Milwaukee’s older homes, particularly in historically neglected areas, make it the city with the highest rate of child lead poisoning in Wisconsin. Around 88% of homes were built before the 1978 federal ban on lead paint, meaning many still contain lead hazards beneath layers of newer paint. Lead-based paint is usually not a problem if it's in good condition, but it can be a hazard if it's damaged, peeling, chipping, cracking, or damp – a problem exacerbated by our local weather.
“Our cold, rainy, and snowy climate causes lead paint to deteriorate faster, generating hazardous dust,” said Michael Mannan, Director of HEH at MHD. “We have a lot of weather impacts on lead paint, all it takes is the equivalent of a sugar packet of lead dust spread throughout a home to cause elevated blood lead levels in a child.”
Remediating lead hazards requires certified contractors, and costs can run into the thousands depending on the severity. Insurance doesn’t cover these expenses, but MHD helps property owners find financial aid, like the HUD grant Kazee received.
Mannan emphasized the need for more accountability from landlords with unmaintained properties, noting that Milwaukee’s shortage of safe, low-income housing complicates the issue.
“Milwaukee doesn't have a lot of safe low-income housing, so shutting down all lead-contaminated buildings would create more problems,” he said. “We aim to make homes lead-safe, but it requires cooperation from both tenants and owners, and that’s a challenge.”
Mitchell, who oversaw Kazee’s case, acknowledged that lead is just one of many systemic issues low-income families face.
“Poverty, unemployment, food scarcity—they all contribute to the challenges families encounter,” Mitchell said. “Lead poisoning can have delayed symptoms, making it difficult for families to connect cause and effect; it can be very draining. We work to connect families with other city services, but we often see broader issues that we can’t fully address. It makes it tough for families to focus on lead remediation,”
To ensure the effectiveness of its new testing guidelines, MHD is collaborating with area healthcare providers to ensure they understand and implement the updated recommendations. By integrating the guidelines into routine care, healthcare providers will play a critical role in early detection and prevention of lead exposure in children.
How families can protect their children
Early detection is crucial to reducing lead exposure. MHD’s updated testing schedule underscores the importance of proactive measures. By recommending universal blood lead tests at 12, 18, and 24 months, and annually until age 5, MHD aims to ensure that no child falls through the cracks when it comes to early detection and prevention. In addition to parents and guardians being their child’s biggest advocate, keeping a clean house is crucial to minimizing lead paint hazards in the home.
“I have seen a child set a sandwich down on the windowsill and then go play and come back to eat it. If you’re in a 1925 house, that's the last thing you should probably do,” said Ron Green, HEH Grants Manager at the health department. “Every time that window is raised and lowered, the friction surfaces create a fine dust that settles on everything, which impacts small children crawling around.”
Green advises against dry sweeping, which can stir up hazardous dust particles. Instead, he recommends using HEPA vacuums, available for free rental from MHD, and wet cleaning methods like disposable wipes.
“HEPA vacuums can safely remove fine dust without spreading it around,” Green explained. “When wet cleaning is performed, it’s important to use disposable wipes or rags and focus on high-risk areas like windows and entryways. Don’t just mop and reuse the same water—it only spreads the lead around.”
Kazee, now with a lead-safe house for her three children, is thankful for MHD’s meticulous work during her lead remediation case.
“The outcome is worth the process. You just have to get through it,” Kazee said.
How to contact MHD about lead remediation
For more information on lead remediation, blood lead level testing, or to contact MHD’s Home Environmental Health team, please visit
milwaukee.gov/HEH