The Wisconsin Department of Heath Services is encouraging all Wisconsinites to take steps to prevent childhood lead exposure. This week is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says it’s important to get the facts, help children get tested for lead exposure, and check homes for lead hazards. There are an estimated 350,000 homes in Wisconsin with lead based paint hazards, the most common cause of childhood lead poisoning. Over the past two decades 230,000 Wisconsin children under the age of 6 have been poisoned by lead, including children in Fond du Lac County. No amount of lead exposure is safe. Lead poisoning can cause learning and behavior problems, slowed growth and development, and hearing and speech problems.
