Lead-Safe Wisconsin: Home

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is committed to ending childhood lead poisoning in Wisconsin. DHS prevents childhood lead poisoning by educating families, catching cases early, and requiring lead-safe work practices.

Lead poisoning is a statewide problem

Lead is a toxic metal. Every year, thousands of Wisconsin children are poisoned because of exposures to lead in paint, dust, soil, old plumbing, and more. Lead poisoning causes lifelong harm. It can permanently affect a child's brain, leading to reduced IQ, learning difficulties, behavioral problems, and chronic health issues.

Lead poisoning is preventable

We know how to stop lead poisoning. In Wisconsin, most children are poisoned in the buildings where they live, learn, and play. To stop lead poisoning, we must:

Respond quickly when a child is poisoned.
Remove lead from a child's environment.

By the numbers

Over 15,000 Wisconsin children under age 6 were diagnosed with lead poisoning over the past 5 years.
Lead poisoning has been identified in all 72 counties.
An estimated 350,000 Wisconsin homes contain lead-based paint hazards.

Our programs

DHS's Lead & Asbestos Section runs several programs and initiatives dedicated to preventing lead poisoning:

The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP): This team supports and monitors Wisconsin's blood-lead testing efforts so children being exposed to lead can be identified and helped early.
The Lead-Safe Homes Program (LSHP): This program helps income-eligible families make their homes lead-safe, covering the costs of repairs for owner-occupants and eligible landlords.
The Certification and Field Compliance Units: These teams certify the professionals who do lead-safe renovation, abatement, and investigation work, and make sure certified work is done correctly.
The Lead-in-Water Testing and Remediation Initiative: This initiative offers free lead-in-water testing and plumbing fixes for licensed child care centers.