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Jenae Williamson

Ms. Kenly

British Literature

27 March 2018

Flint Michigan Water Use

Lead poisoning has broken many families in the city of Flint, Michigan. Lead poisoning

has greatly affected the citizens and even more the development of children. In April of 2014,

there was a heartbreaking exposure of substantial amounts of lead poisoning that has

unfortunately ended the lives of the residents who live there. Opposers of this issue considerably

disagree with the fact that the citizens in Flint are suffering from the break in the contamination

of the water. However, there are people who believe that the lead poisoning has incredibly

affected those who live there day in and day out. While there is controversy on lead poisoning,

currently the state of Michigan is providing the citizens with a mobile crisis team; now nearly 4

years later, will the government move more quickly to solve the problem of providing a

mandatory restriction to conserve water?

To prove my point, I have organized my paper into 4 main sections, three of which have

sub-sections. In the first section, I will provide an immensely comprehensive amount of history

on how and when the water in Flint Michigan was contaminated. In the second section, I will

discuss the reasons on why mandatory restrictions should be in place to prevent water

contamination spreading to other cities. In the third section, I will describe the physical and

mental health that residents have faced that has caused diseases from lead poisoning and the
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long-term effects. I will end my paper with a fourth section that will provide facts to the division

in the U.S. with government policies and the lack of protection to for the people who live in

Flint.

Historical Context

According to the World Health Organization, "Lead poisoning was common among the

ancient Romans, even though knowledge of its toxicity dates as far back as 2000B.C."​(Susan

Scutti)​.Unfortunately, it's a controversy that citizens deal with. Flint was once known as the

home of the nation's biggest General Motors plant; now, when you search for Flint, the first thing

that pops up is the water contamination. In the process of saving the city money, the government

announced that a new pipeline would be produced to deliver water from Lake Huron to Flint

which was only supposed to last until summer 2016.

In 2014, the city turned its water source to the Flint River while the pipeline was still

under construction. Shortly after the switch, residents stated that the water looked, smelled, and

tasted funny. In 2015, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Virginia Tech revealed

dangerous levels of lead in the water which was found at residents homes. Furthermore, nearly

half of Flint's service lines are made of lead and because the water wasn't treated properly, the

lead began to filter into the water supply, additionally adding iron.

On April 25th, 2014 a life-changing act of just switching water sources changed the faces

of many lives for people who lived in the area of contaminated water. In August of that year, the

city announced fecal coliform bacteria had been detected in the water supply, eventually

prompting a boil water advisory for neighborhoods on the west side of Flint. Following this, the

city raised the amount of chlorine in the water and then flushed the system. On August 20th the
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advisory was lifted. Shortly after, in September, Flint issued yet another advisory to boil their

water after a positive test for total coliform bacteria. The existence of this form of bacteria has a

warning sign that E. coli or any other form of dangerous disease-causing organisms might be

contaminating the water.

Again, city officials tell residents they will flush the pipes and add more chlorine to the

water. Eventually, after 4 days, residents were told without danger they can continue to drink the

water from the tap. In January 2015, the city warns the residents that the water contains

byproducts of disinfectants that might cause high health concerns including a rise in risk for

cancer over time. The water was assumed to be safe for the general population, but for the elders

and the parents of young children, they were told to be cautious and consult with their doctors if

need be.

Nine months later after coming to the conclusion that Flint water was 19 times more fatal

than Detroit water. Virginia Tech recommends that the state should declare that the water is not

safe for drinking or cooking for anyone. According to studies, the river water is corroding old

pipes and lead is leaching more and more every day, hurting more lives. Two months following,

residents filed a federal class-action lawsuit claiming 14 state and city officials, including

Governor Snyder, knowingly exposed Flint residents to toxic water. The following month,

Governor Snyder declares a state of emergency in Genesee County.

In early January, governor Snyder writes President Barack Obama to request the

declaration of an expedited major disaster in Flint, approximately costing $55 million to install

lead-free pipes throughout the city. The following summer, six current and former state workers

are charged with the criminal investigation continues​ (Flint Water Crisis Fast Facts).
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Mandatory Restrictions

There was and still is a shining light on Flint Michigan due to lead contaminating the

water. City to city, there is test being brought to light showing a mild number of children who

contain unsafe levels of blood: Poughkeepsie, Syracuse, Buffalo (New York) and Chicago. But

in some places, those figures are much higher. In certain areas, including parts of Pennsylvania

and Ohio, more than 1 in 7 children tested for elevated levels of lead in their blood. Minnesota

had the highest overall rate, at 10.3 percent, followed by Pennsylvania (7.8 percent), Kentucky

(7.1 percent), Ohio (7 percent) and Connecticut (6.7 percent) (Dennis A4). According to a

Chicago Tribune, analysis of results from the tested water says, "Toxic lead was found in tap

water drawn from nearly 70% of 2,797 homes across Chicago within the past two years." In

other words, three out of 10 homes in an area had a lead concentration of 5 parts per billion

(Howard )​.

To prevent this from further happening in other cities there are two options. Either there

needs to be an obligatory restriction on the use of where the water that goes to homes and

business comes from or parents should be more mindful of sources of lead that are presented to

their children. "Most importantly, lead poisoning can be prevented but not effectively treated, so

it is critical to identify and eliminate sources of lead in children's environments before they are

poisoned"​(Susan Scutti).​ In other words, she is saying that parents should be more aware of

possible sources that may or may not have the exposure of lead, especially in older homes which

have been painted in lead-based paint.

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As a result of the recorded high lead levels in the aforementioned cities, Flint has

provided a mobile crisis team to go into neighborhoods and provide help to local families

through a child psychiatric teleprogram ​(Goodnough, Abby, and Scott Atkinson).​ Frankly,

residents believe that government officials should go to every home they have damaged, and

reinsure the residents that their water will soon be safe to consume and provide their homes with

water filters.

In a different article, ​Jessica Mendoza​ states, "In response some cities are launching

initiatives to upgrade their water systems, as well as developing sustainable funding mechanisms

to aid those efforts." it also mentions, "Chicago, for instance, is in the middle of a 10-year plan,

begun in 2012, to replace 900 miles of century-old pipes throughout the city - a project financed

in part by cutting payroll at the Department of Water Management, raising water rates, and

partnering with private contractors."

While stated in the same article, "With a $500,000 emergency grant from the state, the

group is offering free crisis counseling at churches and the public library and has held two

community meetings on stress management. Social workers and state are helping with the

counseling on a volunteer basis." The lead in Flint water has affected everyone in their own way

but the biggest one is in the brain.

Physical and Mental Health

Lead poisoning is when lead builds up in the body, over the course of months and

sometimes years. Just small amounts of lead can cause serious health problems, which Flint

residents soon realized. One article even states that residents are doing research for themselves to

see what could be the possible outcome of future life-changing decisions, "The researchers also
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analyzed Flint's Google search data, to find when residents began searching lead and lead

poisoning-related terms, which could indicate concerns about the effects of the lead in the water

and could possibly influence potential parents' decision to having children, the study said."

Causes of disease from lead poisoning.

Not only has it been seen, but it has been tested that lead can cause more problems in

children than adults. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on

Environmental Health, children are at more of a higher risk of toxic effects than adults. The

exposure of high levels of lead in your body can cause numerous of health complications. Susan

Scutti reported, "It can slow growth and development and lead to learning and behavior problems

including reduced IQ, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and hearing and speech problems."

The CDC later states, "There is no safe blood lead level in children." Both points are essentially

stating the same thing by explicitly giving considerable information on how lead can affect the

body of adults but more so children.

One of the biggest causes of lead poisoning is the loss of children and unborn children.

Children who are born to mothers in the wake of Flint's water are affected tremendously as well.

Ana Aceves mentions in an article, ‘Flint Water Tied to Fetal Death and Lower Fertility Rates',

"Researchers studying Flint lead water crisis found a decrease in pregnancies and an increase in

fetal deaths among Flint women. Fertility rates dropped by 12% while fetal deaths rose by 58%."

Mothers and or mothers to be, who lives in Flint, their chances of having a successful pregnancy

and their babies surviving are slim to none.

In September of 2015, Hurley Medical Center confirmed something that plenty of Flint

residents feared over a year: "The proportion of infants and children with above-average levels
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of lead in their blood has nearly doubled since the city switched from the Detroit water system to

using the Flint River as its water source, in 2014 ​(Yanan Wang)​" To add on top of that

Jacqueline Howard​ mentions in her article, according to the CDC "At least 4 million households

in the United States include children who are being exposed to high levels of led from various

sources but mostly deteriorated leaded paint and elevated levels of lead-contaminated house

dust."

Also stated in another article by ​Yanan Wang​, ‘Water Problems Hit Emergency Level In Flint,

Mich.', as reported by the World Health Organization, "lead affects children's brain development

resulting in reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioral changes such as shortening of

attention span and increased antisocial behavior, and reduced educational attainment." "Lead

exposure also causes anemia, hypertension, renal impairment, immunotoxicity and toxicity to the

reproductive organs. The neurological and behavioral effects of lead are believed to be

irreversible." Summarily, if you are a developing child, your mental development is going to be

behind others from generations before.

Also stated in the same article there is a mother of twin 4 year-olds who have high levels

of lead in their blood. She states, "I was hysterical," "I cried when they gave me my first lead

report." One thing she feared is when she started seeing rashes on her family, and one of her sons

stopped gaining weight. Now looking back, Walters said, "When her children experience

problems as they grow up, she will always wonder whether things would have been different, if

their lives would have been better or if it weren't for the water ​(Yanan Wang)​."

Another article features a mother of two who moved to Flint in June of 2014. Eventually,

she noticed a glow her skin, this usually means that you're pregnant. Unfortunately about 5
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weeks into her pregnancy, she was rushed to the hospital and was told she was going through the

process of a miscarriage. With the following doctor's appointment, they noticed another mass

still growing.

After following up with some test, they came to a conclusion that she was once pregnant

with twins with one still growing after her miscarriage. She said "This (is) going to be my

miracle child because she already lost her brother or sister. So this one is going to make it."

Wakes had another miscarriage once again, but this time in her second trimester.

After coming home she receives a letter in the mail from the city of Flint stating that

mothers that are expecting and people over the age of 55 should not drink the tap water. "I see

something from the city of Flint saying that pregnant women and people 55 and over should not

be drinking this water," Wakes said. "I was like are you serious, and I'm just coming home to

losing my babies? And now just, it could have been the water that did this?" Sadly this was only

the beginning of the expanding number of families which has taken a toll from the water crisis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are as many as 10% to 20%

of most pregnancies ending in mothers having miscarriages (Simon, Mallory, and Sara Sidner).

Division in the U.S.

Residents in Flint believed that government officials knew about the water when the

crisis first came to light. "Although city and state officials initially denied that the water was

unsafe, the state issued a notice informing Flint residents that their water contained unlawful

levels of trihaiom ethanes, a chlorine byproduct linked to cancer and other diseases." In other
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words, when the crisis was seen by city and state officials, they didn't give any attention to the

issues residents were claiming, which furthermore makes their government system look bad.

Also in the same article "For more than 18 months, state and local government officials

ignored irrefutable evidence that the water pumped from the Flint River exposed [residents] to

extreme toxicity." the complaint reads ​(Wang, Yanan)​ "The deliberately false denials about the

safety of the Flint River water was as deadly as it was arrogant" Both points are giving explicit

reasons on the lack of governments compassion towards their residents.

Parents and other residents all joined together in November to file a class-action federal

lawsuit against Snyder, the city, the state and 13 other public officials for the damages they

caused which resulted in the water leading to many homes to be tainted. The suit alleges that the

state and city officials "deliberately deprived" them of their 14th Amendment rights by replacing

safe drinking water with a cheaper alternative which was known by officials that the water was

highly toxic.

In addition, ​Brady Dennis​ states another valuable point which states, "But being poor also

plays a role." "The study shows that children living in zip codes with higher poverty rates had a

greater proportion of elevated blood-levels, with children in more affluent zip codes, were "much

less likely" to suffer that fate." Those who could not afford bottled water chose to drink from the

tap knowing that it will only hurt them in the end. As far as bathing, they chose to boil pots of

water for their children ​(Yanan Wang)​.

Once everyone came to the realizations that their city will never be the same, the state set

up centers over the city to distribute cases of water for residents. Recently, according to WJRT,

the program ended when the supplies that were getting some families though, ran low. On that
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Friday, residents rushed to the last four remaining distribution of water centers to get whatever

they had left of the government-funded bottles of water. This isn't fair to the residents being that

they were given free bottles of water but now have to really pay for what the city caused just to

save money.

Residents who are already below the poverty rate are going to suffer much more than

others. "Less than 24 hours after the closure of the city's last four water distribution sites, more

than 50 Flint-area residents filled two buses two buses to protest at the state capital in Lansing."

Flint residents are very upset because the state caused the residents to suffer from lead poisoning

and because if it they funded the water for those who could not afford it. Just recently they

closed all sites because the supplies ran low. Now 4 years later after the contamination of the

water, residents still don't believe that the water is safe to drink.
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Work Cited

Aceves, Ana.​ Flint Water Tied to Fetal Death and Lower Fertility Rates. 2017.

Goodnough, Abby, and Scott Atkinson.​ "Flint Water Crisis also Hits at Mental Health." New

York Times, 01 May, 2016, pp. A.16. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Dennis, Brady. ​"In some Cities, 1 in 7 Children have Dangerous Blood-Lead Levels."

Washington Post, 16 Jun, 2016, pp. A.4, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Flint Water Crisis Fast Facts​, CNN, 28 Nov. 2017. Accessed 16 Apr. 2018.

Howard, Jacqueline​. Lead found in hundreds of Chicago homes' tap water. 2018.

Scutti, Susan.​ Children With Elevated Lead Levels Aren't Being Tested or Diagnosed. 2017.

Simon, Mallory, and Sara Sidner.​ Flint water crisis: Families bear scars from 'manmade disaster'.

2016.

Wang, Yanan​. Water Problems Hit Emergency Level In Flint Mich., 2015.