Health Effects of Lead

Exposure to lead in any form causes, at a minimum, short term problems such as rashes, but can lead to severe health issues. Let's take a look:

Source: Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Exposure to mass amounts of lead over a short period of time

Abdominal pain
Constipation
Fatigue
Headaches
Irritability
Kidney disease
Loss of appetite
Memory loss
Pain or tingling in the hands and/or feet
Weakness

Exposure to a minimal amount of lead over a long period of time

- Abdominal pain
- Constipation
- Depression
- Increased distraction
- Forgetfulness
- Irritability
- Nausea/Sickness
- Kidney Disease

Overall Common Side Effects

Abdominal Pain
Constipation
Forgetfulness / memory loss
Irritability
Kidney disease

Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

How Does Lead Get Into the Body?

Lead can get into the body by either consuming contaminated water, or by inhaling fumes from objects that contain lead (ie. pipes).

In the case of Flint, lead from the pipes contaminated the drinking water of residents, making it extremely dangerous.

Breaking Down Statistics

Since the beginning of the Flint Water Crisis in 2014, several studies have been conducted examining the impact of lead-contaminated water on Flint residents. The graphic above shows a study conducted by D. Grossman and D. Slusky on increased infertility rates in Flint. Along a 12-month moving average, the yellow line (which represents the birth-rate per 1,000 women aged 15-49 in Flint) follows a normal increase/decrease pattern but significantly drops once the city switched water sources to the Flint River. In comparison to "Other cities" (blue line), by 2014-15, Flint has 15 less births per 1,000 women, which correlates directly to infertility and miscarriage as a known side effect of lead exposure.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also conducted a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) in May 2016 to examine and investigate the following:

The key results of the CASPER revealed the following statistics:

Source: Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

These statistics illustrate high rates not only of physical, but mental and behavioral detriments due to lead-contaminated water throughout the Flint Water Crisis. They also reveal that ~1/5 of Flint households experienced difficulty in accessing aid for these subsequent behavioral problems.

Created by Sophia Robinson, Matthew Kiernan, Ruby Keller

January 2021

works cited

Organization, W. (n.d.). Lead poisoning and health. Retrieved January 22, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health

Hanna-Attisha, M., LaChance, J., Sadler, R., & Champney Schnepp, A. (2016, February). Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Children Associated With the Flint Drinking Water Crisis: A Spatial Analysis of Risk and Public Health Response. Retrieved January 22, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4985856/

Disease Control, C. F. (2020, May 28). Flint Water Crisis. Retrieved January 22, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/casper/pdf-html/flint_water_crisis_pdf.html

The water crisis in Flint, Michigan has had terrible consequences for residents' health. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2021, from https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2017/09/27/the-water-crisis-in-flint-michigan-has-had-terrible-consequences-for-residents-health

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