Lead Linked to Criminal Activity in Milwaukee

Milwaukee is struggling handling its lead crisis, with it devastating its most vulnerable residents and having long-lasting impacts on children. In recent studies, lead has been linked to criminal activity in Milwaukee.

According to Amy Kalkbrenner, a professor of public health at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Zilber College, lead primarily affects children’s brain cognitive abilities and impairs their decision-making skills, leading children exposed to lead to engage in more risk-taking behaviors. Meaning lead could be contributing to the rising homicide rates taking children’s lives in Milwaukee.

“If we could fix this problem of lead then criminal behavior would go down,” said Kalkbrenner. “It wouldn’t be eliminated because lead is not the only cause. It’s one of the many.”

Kalkbrenner was a part of a study that linked lead to criminal activity. With ruling out other factors, the study found that those with higher lead levels were more likely to be perpetrators and victims of gun violence.

Executive function is one of the last things for our brains to develop and it is the portion of our brain that helps us plan ahead and to not be impulsive.

“Highschoolers don’t have fully developed executive function and if they have lead exposure then they’re going to have even more impaired executive function,” Kalkbrenner said. “They’re going to be more likely to put themselves into risky situations and act in a more risky way that we know can be involved in gun violence.”

Jennifer Koss, a former MPS teacher, spoke about seeing these extreme behaviors and no impulse control in students that had high lead levels.

“There were a few kids where I would watch their behaviors and be like, that’s got to be the lead levels,” Koss said. “And I would look into their files and yep! I was never wrong.”

It was revealed by the Milwaukee Public Health Department last year that some Milwaukee Public School buildings had dangerous amounts of lead contamination. Lead exposure is influenced by buildings’ age and how well they are maintained. If buildings are not maintained well, it can lead to these dangerous levels of lead that some MPS buildings have.

MPS Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius stresses the importance of getting this lead crisis under control. She worries the lead could be linked to many children not being able to read at grade level.

“I’m starting to question, are our kids just so exposed to lead at such a young early age that that is impacting their cognition and their ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of phonics than them being able to actually read at grade level.” Cassellius said.

Cassellius shared that they are training teachers in different approaches to teaching and monitoring their implementation.

“If in two years I don’t see change, and I know for a fact the teachers are teaching the phonics,” Cassellius said. “There is something else going on.”

Cassellius stresses the importance of testing children’s blood levels for lead to be able to combat this crisis and helps show the extent of the problem.