Similar but less severe problems can be found in Wisconsin, Tussler said, where lead pipes in old homes and laterals that carry water from city streets to homes can lead to drinking water contamination.
The problem is especially prevalent in Milwaukee — where there are many old homes — but old homes in other communities and rural areas across Wisconsin could also be exposing their residents to lead contamination not only from old pipes but also from lead paint.
Increased lead exposure can cause lifetime issues such as lowered IQ, developmental delays, learning disabilities and behavioral problems, among other things.
Children from low-income families in Milwaukee are less likely to have access to dairy products than children in other Wisconsin communities, she said, because the dairy products there are more expensive than they are in rural areas.
She said dairy farmers and others can donate dairy products to food pantries and make a positive impact on the health of children.
She said Michigan dairy farmers stepped up to get more dairy products in the hands of Flint residents when the lead contamination problem surfaced there.
Lead was used in paint until 1978, Tussler said, so many old homes still have lead paint on both inside and outside surfaces.
Lead pipes were used in the water service lines of homes built before 1962.
In testimony at a March 2017 hearing on a bill proposing that public water utilities provide financial assistance to customers who want to replace lead service lines to their homes, David Lawrence, executive director of the Wisconsin Rural Water Association, said the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that at least 176,000 lead service lines connect homes to municipal water mains in Wisconsin.
Filters are available and affordable to remove lead, Tussler said, and women of child-bearing age and children under 6 should always drink and cook with filtered or bottled water.