Flint water crisis
What happened and Why?
By: Brianna Bailey 11/02/18
Lead In the water: An investigation by pediatrician Dr Mona HaNna-Attisha
I personally never experienced this issue but the residents in Flint, Michigan have. I was inspired to write this because of a courageous investigation by Flint pediatrician, Dr Mona Hanna-Attisha. She points to failure of government as the cause of the Flint crisis. Flint's decision to save money on their water department which caused wide spread lead poisoning.
Just recently, the government ended the water point of distribution (POD) centers that provided residents in Flint with bottled water for the past three years. These POD centers opened after Dr Hanna-Attisha and others proved that children were experiencing negative side effects of lead poisoning. After her allegations, the POD centers provided residents with bottled water to drink, cook, and bathe.
Even though the POD centers are closed because the water quality is better now, the residents of the city are still traumatized by the crisis that was going on for years. This crisis will mostly affect kids and their future.
What led to this crisis?
How did this happen?
In April 2014, the government in the city of Flint, Michigan changed its water source from the great lakes to the Flint river. When they made the switch, they did not add corrosion control in the water. Therefore, as the water entered the houses through the pipes, it became contaminated from pipes giving off lead. Lead is a potent neurotoxin.
Why did the government decide to use the water from the Flint River?
The government decided to use water from the Flint River because the water from the Great Lakes was too expensive and they could not afford it. The Flint River has 19x more corrosion than water from the Great Lakes.
How long was the Flint River a backup water source?
During the 47 years that Flint was buying water from another department, the Flint River was just a backup. It was tapped a couple times every year just to make sure everything is in place. After deciding the water from the Great Lakes was too expensive, the Flint River went from being a back up to being the city's only source of water.
Dr. Mona Hanna-attisha: a hero
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is a pediatrician, Professor at Michigan State University, and public health advocate whose exploration uncovered the Flint water crisis. Her research uncovered that kids were exposed to hazardous levels of lead in Flint, Michigan. Her book, "What the Eyes Don't See," explains how she investigated this crisis and tried to help everybody, especially the children. Also, she got the story out to other cities.
In a conference at Friends' Central School, I met Dr. Mona, and she said, "The government cares more about money and power than they care about the citizens." Jesse Jackson even called Flint a "crime scene." The government told her that she was wrong for speaking publicly about the crisis.
Lead's victims: The children of Flint
Dr Hanna-Attisha's focus was mainly on the children of Flint. 60% of Flint children live in poverty. A child in Flint will live 15 years less than a child in an adjacent zip code. The EPA lead specialist who first raised the issue of lead with the DEQ and Virginia Tech scientist Marc Edwards worked with Dr. Mona Hasha-Attisha when she was raising the dispute about increased lead levels in children. Between 6,000 and 12,000 children were exposed to lead-contaminated water. Research results showed that children with elevated blood-lead levels rose from 2.4% to 4.9%. Some even saw increases from 4.0% to 10.6%. This can cause serious health problems for children, and the ones that were exposed to this "crime scene" will experience life long trauma.
what kind of nation do we wish to be?
This question, by Dr Hanna-Attisha, is one for all of us. All families should be supplied with the proper water supply, especially the innocent children of Flint, Michigan. This is a serious issue. Though the government says the water is safe to use now, many people have left Flint or they are still skeptical about it because they feel as though the government has betrayed them and made them lose their trust. What kind of nation are we?