Press Release: Lead-Safe Schools MKE
Lead-Safe Schools MKE Wants the Public to Know About the EPA’s New Lead Dust Hazard Thresholds
Milwaukee, WI - Lead-Safe Schools MKE, an MPS parent-led organization demanding answers and solutions to the current lead-in-schools crisis, wants the public to be aware of a new EPA rule that would change the interpretation of the Milwaukee Health Department’s lead risk assessments recently completed on MPS schools. According to the EPA, an update to the hazard thresholds for lead dust went into effect on January 13, 2025. According to the EPA, “the final rule reduced the level of lead in dust that is considered hazardous from 10 micrograms per square foot (µg/ft2) on floors and 100 µg/ft2 on window sills to any reportable level”. The language in the final rule is available in the Federal Register.
Lead-Safe Schools reached out to MHD requesting an answer to why their reports have labeled levels of lead dust as hazardous ONLY when they meet the OLD EPA thresholds for hazardous conditions. MHD has indicated that the state will need time to revise its administrative code (Wis. Admin. Code ch. DHS 163) to align with the EPA rule. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services website notes that these changes need to be in alignment with the EPA’s rule by January 11, 2027.
“Our understanding is that if Wisconsin adopted the EPA rule change on lead dust thresholds today, that nearly all of the surfaces tested thus far in MPS schools would be considered a lead hazard. The EPA has stated that the new rule is aimed at better aligning with the science that shows no amount of lead is safe,” Kristen Payne of Lead-Safe Schools MKE said. “We wish that MHD had indicated in their lead risk assessment reports that this rule change impacts the interpretation of the data. Regardless of if the state technically has another 2 years to comply with the new rule, the science is clear: community health suffers when any amount of lead is in our environments. Failure to label lead dust levels that are below the old EPA thresholds as hazardous without commenting on the rule change is misleading,” Payne added. The group plans to pressure the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to quickly update state administrative code to be consistent with the new EPA rule.
The new EPA rule has caused a reignition of concern about lead work being completed in schools that remain occupied by staff and students. Payne said, “I have been trying to get answers about what work has been done while my child has been in one of the affected schools. We have been told by the children that work was being completed while they were in the environment. Now that MHD has confirmed that unsafe work was happening at Trowbridge Elementary, we need to have the information on what was performed at the other schools while children were present.”
Lead-Safe Schools MKE is a community group organizing for more transparency, improved communication, accountability, and effective solutions to the lead crisis in MPS schools. Those interested in joining the efforts can contact the group at leadsafeschoolsMKE@gmail.com or visit their website (leadsafeschoolsMKE.com).