Flint: Water Crisis

The Flint water crisis only came to light in the past month or so, with many media channels carrying the issue. The city of more than 100,000 residents had their drinking water contaminated, the crisis was due to a number of factors which goes back to April 2014. During this period a switch was made from where the small town in Michigan received their water supply from. Flint is known to be surrounded near many lakes that provide water to many other cities. It was discovered that the drinking water had been contaminated by the change of water source from Lake Huron and the Detroit River to the Flint River. The old pipes that pumped water from the Flint River into the homes of those in Flint was found to cause high levels of lead in the water. 

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a local doctor in the Flint area became aware of the situation when she started to see an increased number of children from the Flint area with high levels of lead in their blood. This immediately raised an alarm for her where she investigated the matter further. Now through the discovery of high levels of lead in their drinking water a major investigation has caused an uproar. Flint is known to be one of the poorest cities in Michigan and with Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha trying to contact many officials all the way up to the Governors office, she was shut down and told to shut up. The issue of the quality of water in Flint also caused issues for nearby car manufactures who in 2014 had claimed that the water from the Flint river was eroding their car parts. Many questioned that if the water was not good enough at the auto factories then it could not be possibly good for the human body. Many who knew about the Flint water crisis had changed their supply of water to other methods like the car manufactures. 

The main issue with the Flint water crisis was the high levels of lead in the water. In January 2015 a year after the issue came into the media spotlight a public meeting was held by the residents of Flint where they complained about the quality of water, referring to the taste, the smell and the look. From those at the top they hit back with statements and papers that claimed the water in Flint was safe to consume. The elevated levels of lead in the blood of the children in Flint was researched deeper and the issues with high levels of lead was stated. The irreversible damage of lead in the blood was set to cause problems for those in Flint for the rest of their lives. The causes of high levels of lead in the blood is known to cause developmental delays, learning difficulties, loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting, stomach pain, high blood pressure, brain damage and reproductive effects. All these issues were set to cost the state over $1 billion to ensure the best health care and necessary resources for the Flint residents for now and in the future. 

A large outdoor of donations of bottled water has come from across the United States and for a nation so great and powerful many were shocked that children in the United States were growing up without knowing what clean water was. Now the issue of water contamination in Flint has shed light on the situation other counties and cities across the United States are claiming they are experiencing similar issues like those in Flint. 

Sources 

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/flint-water-crisis/flint-water-crisis-here-s-what-lead-can-do-you-n499916

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis

http://dianeravitch.net/2016/02/01/michael-moore-10-things-you-dont-know-about-the-flint-water-crisis/