Press Release: Get the Lead Out

For Immediate Release

For more information contact:

Robert Miranda @414-469-4182

Kristen Payne @leadsafeschoolsMKE@gmail.com

Milwaukee Health Department And Milwaukee Public Schools Letter to MPS Families and Staff Improved on the Issue of Water

Milwaukee, WI – In a letter dated February 27, 2025 that was addressed to Milwaukee Public Schools families and staff, MPS and MHD provided improved advice on precautionary steps to prevent lead poisoning from water sources. Specifically, the letter encourages use of “a water filter certified to remove lead (NSF/ANSI 53)”.

“This letter provides improved information on what families and staff must do to protect their children from lead poisoning in their homes. It’s an improvement from the letter parents of Golda Meir school received, in which no information was provided regarding prevention of exposure to lead-in-water in their homes” said Robert Miranda of Get The less Out Coalition (GTLO).

Peer-reviewed science shows the pervasiveness of lead-in-water. GTLO and Lead-Safe Schools MKE will continue to demand science-based analysis of lead exposure in the community and solutions that stem from science. For instance, EPA estimates that 20% or more of an individual’s source of lead exposure is through water. The EPA recently referenced a study revealing lead service lines as a stronger predictor of lead poisoning than deteriorated paint in an Ohio community, highlighting the urgency of prioritizing water sources of lead exposure.

“The health department is improving its messaging around water sources of lead exposure, and we are grateful for that. GTLO and Lead-Safe Schools MKE want to see scientifically backed analysis of the lead crisis in Milwaukee. Prevention efforts need to flow from science on all sources of lead in our environment and this includes water. Water can’t be an afterthought.” Said Kristen Payne of Lead-Safe Schools MKE.

We continue to demand that MPS install and monitor point of use filters on all taps in all MPS schools, regardless of if they are intended for drinking, as human behavior is unpredictable. Continued periodic MHD recommendations to use filters in their homes is a must. The advice should include the model type of these filters (NAF/ANSI-53 or NSF/ANDI-42), locations to install these filters, and the importance of regular maintenance and replacement of the filters. We encourage the City of Milwaukee to make filters available to its residents free of charge to improve access to lead-free water.

We further want to remind MPS and the health department that there is no safe level of lead in water, paint, and dust.

GTLO and Lead-Safe Schools MKE applauds MPS and MHD for improving communication on prevention of lead exposure in water with action items that families can take to protect their health. We look forward to seeing additional improvements in the creation and maintenance of clean and healthy environments for our community.