WELL, MAYOR HOFFMAN, THANKS VERY MUCH AND GOOD LUCK.
>> THANK YOU. >> WISCONSIN PHYSICIANS HAVE NEW
RECOMMENDATIONS TO TEST ALL CHILDREN FOR ELEVATED LEVELS OF
LEAD IN THEIR BLOOD. THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
SERVICES IS CALLING FOR UNIVERSAL LEAD TESTING FOR ALL
ONE AND TWO-YEAR-OLDS AND UP TO AGE 5 IF NOT PREVIOUS TESTED.
THE NUMBER OF WISCONSIN CHILDREN WHO WERE TESTED DROPPED 75% FROM
APRIL 2019 TO APRIL 2020, ACCORDING TO D.H.S..
DR. BETH NEARY IS A RETIRED PEDIATRICIAN, ADJUNCT ASSISTANT
CLINICAL PHYSICIAN OF PEDIATRICS AND COPRESIDENT OF A WISCONSIN
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NETWORK. SHE JOINS US TO DETAIL WHY THESE
RECOMMENDATIONS ARE NEEDED. DOCTOR, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME. >> HOW IMPORTANT IS IT THAT
YOUNG CHILDREN BE TESTED FOR BLOOD LEAD LEVELS?
>> IT IS CRITICAL, AND I'M REALLY SO PROUD OF OUR STATE FOR
TAKING THIS STEP. RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE WHAT'S CALLED
TARGETED TESTING, AND AS A RESULT OF THAT, WE MISS A LOT OF
CHILDREN. I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON HOW MANY CHILDREN IN
THIS STATE ARE BEING POISONED BY LEAD.
>> HOW CONCERNING IS IT AS THE D.H.S. THAT THE NUMBER OF
CHILDREN BEING TESTING HAS FALLEN OFF?
>> THAT'S EXTREME CONCERNING. PART OF IT IS COVID, BUT WHEN
YOU HAVE TARGETED SCREENING, YOU'RE GOING TO MISS SOME
CHILDREN. WHEN WE GO TO UNIVERSAL, WE'LL
BE ABLE TO FIND ALL OF THE CHILDREN WHO ARE AFFECTED BY
LEAD. >> AND WHAT IS TARGETED
SCREENING? >> TARGETED MEANS YOU HAVE A QUICK AND EASYAIRE, AND IF ANY
OF THE -- QUESTIONNAIRE, AND IF ANY OF THE ANSWERS TO THE
QUESTION ARE POSITIVE, THEN YOU DO A LEAD SCREEN.
OUR PREVIOUS TARGETED TESTING WAS BASED ON THE AGE OF THE
HOUSING. SO WE WOULD CAPTURE, HOPEFULLY, CHILDREN WHO LEAD POISONED BY
PAINT, BUT WE WOULD MISS CHILDREN IF IT WAS LEAD PIPES.
IF IT WAS OTHER THINGS, SUCH AS LIVING NEAR A SMALL AIRPORT THAT
STILL USES LEADED GASOLINE IN SMALL AIRCRAFT, WE MIGHT MISS
CHILDREN WHO HAD FOOD THAT WAS CONTAMINATED, AS WITH THIS LAST
CASE WE SAW IN NOVEMBER 2023. >> WHAT HAPPENS TO A CHILD IF
THEY HAVE LEAD IN THEIR BLOOD? >> WELL, LEAD IS A TOXIC.
IT AFFECTS EVERY ORGAN IN THE SYSTEM, BUT IT IS AWFUL FOR THE
HUMAN BRAIN. AND IF YOU THINK OF CHILDREN
FROM THE AGES OF ZERO TO FIVE, THAT BRAIN IS STILL DEVELOPING,
IT'S CREATING THESE PATHWAYS, AND IT'S THEIR FUTURE.
SO WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT IT INTERRUPTS THESE CIRCUITS IN THE
BRAIN SO THE RESULT IS WE SEE CHILDREN WHO HAVE LOWER I.Q., IT
AFFECTS WHAT WE CALL EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, AND THAT MEANS THE
ABILITY TO SIT STILL IN CLASS, TO REGULATE YOUR EMOTIONS, TO
REASON THROUGH THINGS. SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT A CHILD
WHO BE CAN'T DO THAT, AND IN KINDERGARTEN, MAYBE THEY CAN'T
SIT STILL AND THEY CAN'T FOCUS, THEY CAN'T LEARN, AND SO WHAT WE
DISCOVER IS THAT IF WE HAD ELEVATED LEAD LEVELS IN
CHILDREN, IT AFFECTED THEIR THIRD GRADE READING AND MATH
SCORES, IT AFFECTED HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES AND ITS LINKED
TO INCARCERATION, SO IT'S AWFUL FOR THE CHILD, BUT IT HAS
SOCIETAL IMPLICATIONS FOR ALL OF US. >> IS THERE ANY WAY TO TREAT IT
IF A CHILD HAS ELEVATED LEVELS? >> THAT'S VERY DIFFICULT
QUESTION. SO ONCE IT'S IN THE BODY, THE BODY SEES LEAD AS CALCIUM, AND
SO IT GETS STORED IN THE BONES. THE ONLY TIME WE ACTUALLY TREAT
A CHILD FOR LEAD POISONING IS IF THEIR LEVEL GETS UP TO 45
MICROGRAMS, AND THAT'S VERY HIGH, AND THEN THEY GO THROUGH A
PROCESS OF WHAT'S CALLED KEYLATION, THEY HAVE TO BE
HOSPITALIZED. IT'S QUITE EXTREME, BUT THE
DANIEL HAS ALREADY BEEN -- DAMAGE HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE,
IT'S ALREADY HIT THE BRAIN. EVERYTHING WE SHOULD BE DOING IS
TO PREVENT CHILDREN FROM BEING LEAD POISONED.
>> SPEAKING OF DOING THINGS, SHOULD WISCONSIN BE DOING MORE,
PARTICULARLY IN MILWAUKEE, WHERE TWO-THIRDS OF ELEVATED LEAD
LEVELS ARE FOUND? >> ABSOLUTELY.
SO WHAT WE DO WITH BLOOD TESTING IS WHAT'S CALLED SECONDARY
PREVENTION. WHAT WE REALLY WANT TO DO IS
PRIMARY PREVENTION. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS PREVENT
THE CHILD FROM EVER BEING EXPOSED TO LEAD.
SO WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING IS TAKING THE LEAD OUT OF THE
ENVIRONMENT, OKAY, AND SO WE ARE DOING SOME OF THOSE THINGS.
GETTING RID OF THE LEAD SERVICE LINES ACROSS THIS STATE, ACROSS
THE COUNTRY, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL LEAD-SAFE
HOMES. MAYBE NOT LEAD-FREE, BUT
LEAD-SAFE, THE PAINT IS IN GOOD REPAIR. WE HAVE DONE WONDERFUL THINGS.
WE TOOK THE LEAD OUT OF RESIDENTIAL PAINT IN 1978.
WE TOOK IT OUT OF AUDIT MOTIVE GASOLINE -- AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE
IN THE '70s AND THAT WAS THE BIGGEST LEAD LEVELS FOR
CHILDREN. WHAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IS MILWAUKEE TO SAY TO ALL OF THE
LANDLORDS, SHOW ME THAT YOUR PROPERTY IS LEAD SAFE BEFORE YOU
RENT IT. DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE DO NOW?
WE WAIT UNTIL A KID IS POISONED, THEN WE GO INTO THE HOUSE AND
SAY, OKAY, NOW CLEAN IT UP. THAT'S BACKWARDS.
WE SHOULD BE PREVENTING THOSE CHILDREN FROM BEING EXPOSED, BUT
WE HAVE A STATE WHAT LAW THAT S IT.
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, HAS LEGISLATION LIKE THAT.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, HAS. WE NEED TO DO THAT IN MILWAUKEE.