‘It’s criminal’: Milwaukeeans call for speedier lead pipeline removal to cut childhood poisoning

Wisconsin Watch
Diana Butsko
​
Read the full article.

Sitting in his North Side Milwaukee rental house, Nazir Al-Mujaahid spoke matter-of-factly about the challenges his son Shu’aib faces, while the quiet 9-year-old lingered in another room. Shu’aib excels at sports, Al-Mujaahid said, but his speaking skills developed late, and he still lags behind his 6-year-old brother in reading.

Al-Mujaahid, 45, believes that lead poisoning is hindering his son’s development. Confirming precisely where the lead came from is impossible, but Al-Mujaahid suspects the aging lead pipelines that carried drinking water into his home. 

The city for years failed to warn the family of potential lead hazards in their home — or that Shu’aib registered elevated lead levels as a toddler in 2014, Al-Mujaahid said. Three years later, the family stopped drinking from their tap after learning about risks from lead pipes.