Zilber College expert talks about the ongoing lead hazards at Milwaukee Public School buildings

Amy Kalkbrenner, Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the UW-Milwaukee Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health

WITI Fox 6 Milwaukee
March 6, 2025

The Milwaukee Health Department is investigating the ongoing lead hazards at several buildings within the Milwaukee Public School district. In this episode of Open Record, FOX6 Investigator Bryan Polcyn and Contact 6’s Jenna Sachs get viewers up-to-speed on the MPS lead exposure investigation, including an interview with Zilber College of Public Health Associate Professor Amy Kalkbrenner.

During the interview, Kalkbrenner said, “We are very reliant on our public health systems…But unfortunately, public health is something that is more or less invisible if it’s working. And yet, it’s behind the scenes, doing all of these things. We notice it more, of course, when something goes wrong. But because it tends to be invisible, as you’ve previously discussed, the funding is at risk for public health and for Milwaukee public schools.”

Watch the full interview.

Dr. Kalkbrenner’s interview begins at 23:11.