Since almost 2013, there has been a dangerous water crisis in the town of Flint,Michigan. This problem has been gaining attention now more than ever before. On January 16, President Obama declared a state of emergency on the city and on February 2- the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) was called to look into this bizarre case.
These actions came about in a written statement in which Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder apologized to Flint residents who had been exposed to toxic levels of lead in the city’s water.
“I want the Flint community to know how very sorry I am that this happened,” Snyder wrote. “And I want all Michigan citizens to know that we will learn from this experience, because Flint is not the only city that has an aging infrastructure.”
This health crisis began 18 months ago when the city switched from Lake Huron water to the Flint River water system to cut costs. The new water was not being treated with an anti-corrosive, causing the pipes to deteriorate and exposing residents to hazardous levels of lead.
Despite studies from water quality experts and much outcry from residents, officials did little to acknowledge or resolve the problem. One study showed that the number of children with above average levels of lead in their bloodstream had nearly doubled since the city switched to the Flint water.
Marc Edwards, an expert on water quality at Virginia Tech, formed a volunteer research team to address the problems with Flint’s water. He was shocked with the contamination that his team discovered and how some people at the city seemed to know about it, but refused to do anything.
At least 25 percent of homes in Flint had levels of lead that was well above the federal level, which is 15 ppb. In some homes, it was 13,200 ppb. And nearly every home had water that was distasteful or discolored.
“It was the injustice of it all and that the very agencies that are paid to protect these residents from lead in water, knew or should’ve known after June at the very very latest of this year, that federal law was not being followed in Flint, and that these children and residents were not being protected. The extent to which they went to cover this up exposes a new level of arrogance and uncaring that I have never encountered”, Edwards said.
Melissa Mays, a Flint resident and parent, immediately noticed the difference when the switch in the water supply was made.
“My children would ask me, ‘ Why is the water yellow?’ They would come running out of the bathroom screaming because the bath would be yellow or blue, and they’d say, ‘Mom, something’s wrong with the water again.’”
Mays says the water quality directly impacted all three of her children’s health, potentially with long-term consequences. “My middle child is 12,” continues Mays. “He fell off his bike and he has two buckle fractures in his wrists. So his bones are weaker. My oldest has holes in the smooth sides of his teeth. The dentist believes it’s because of the lead. And my youngest is still struggling. We can’t get his white blood cell count above 4, when a year and a half ago, it was 10.4. So his immune system is compromised, and he’s getting sick basically whenever somebody sneezes. And they’re all now struggling in school: memory, brain functions, I’m terrified for my kids.”
“We had all these experts bringing us all of this science and evidence. They would sit there and tell us that even if it’s discolored, just run your tap for a while and it’ll be fine. ‘It’s safe. Just let your water run. No big deal. This is just a bump in the road.’ It was just a plethora of excuses and lies.”
The hardest hit in these types of situations are those who don’t breastfeed — the most common way for lead to be passed to children is through infant formulas — and those with an inability to buy bottled water. In both cases, it’s the poor who bear the brunt of the risk.
Through all the turmoil. the city of Flint has gotten nation wide support and water bottle donations from multiple stars and athletes from P.Diddy to the Detroit Lions. Above anything, this strong city shows us that we should always fight no matter how hard it is and to always let our voices be heard.
