Rock County health officials describe childhood lead-prevention work, urge universal screening

At a Rock County Board of Supervisors meeting, Katrina Harwood, Rock County health officer and health department director, updated supervisors on the county's childhood lead poisoning prevention program and said Wisconsin Department of Health Services screening recommendations have changed to call for universal testing of children at ages 1 and 2.

Harwood said lead is "a naturally occurring metal that is toxic to humans. Lead poisoning is especially harmful for children and people who are pregnant. It can have lasting effects on health and development over the lifespan." She told the board the state lowered the threshold used for alerts from an older 5 micrograms per deciliter to 3.5 micrograms per deciliter.

The health department described a two-pronged approach: public health nurses focus on the child and family, and environmental health specialists evaluate and test the home. Environmental staff use an XRF analyzer to detect lead in paint and collect dust samples for laboratory testing; the department referred to the 3M liquid lead checks as less precise and said the XRF is more accurate for determining hazards.

Katrina Harwood and staff said their program offers home visits after any test above 3.5 micrograms per deciliter. During a home visit, nurses provide education, perform developmental screenings and refer families to services; environmental staff identify and document sources, share recommendations with landlords for rental properties, and require remediation performed by certified lead contractors when blood levels meet the legal threshold for orders.

Environmental health specialist Diana Grenewold told supervisors, "Anything that is 10 or above then would require orders to remediate that lead. And those orders'are required to be done by a lead contractor." Grenewold said such orders stay with the property until remediation and a clearance test confirm hazards are abated.

Harwood presented recent program metrics: in 2024 the department completed 25 home visits and offered services to 27 additional families with elevated blood lead levels; staff said all children who received a home visit and follow-up testing had lower blood-lead levels on retest. The department also has tested child care facilities for lead in water and makes remediation resources such as replacement fixtures available when contamination is found, followed by retesting.

Board members asked about funding and local roles. Harwood said most program funding comes from two state GPR grants, Medicaid reimbursement covers a smaller portion of services for eligible children, and the remaining costs are covered by local tax levy. On replacing lead service lines, Harwood said municipalities -- not the county health department -- handle replacement of service lines and mains.

Supervisor Townes asked whether apples naturally contain lead after the presentation noted an applesauce recall; Harwood clarified that a cinnamon ingredient in some applesauce pouches was contaminated in that recall, not apples themselves.

When asked whether the board could help by resolution, Harwood said the department "can put some more thought into that and consider bringing something back for the board."