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H2O is water but what is H2O4? It's for swimming and drinking of course! Just maybe not in Flint, Michigan. A Research Paper About the 2014 Flint Water Crisis Toronto Metropolitan University Global Water Issues Professor Mohammad Manshouri March 16 th , 2023 Introduction

Have you ever wondered how the water from our tap is so clean, while the bodies of water they’re sourced from are filthy? Not many people think about the source of their water, and more importantly, the amount of work and chemicals that go into making it clean and safe. The residents of Flint, sure were surprised when one day the tap water they were so accustomed to using, quickly turned to poison. The city of Flint, Michigan located in the United States, and founded in 1819, is the seventh largest city in the state, with an estimated population of 95,000 residents. The city is located alongside the Flint river and Sister lakes, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie all border the city, which is located in a region known as Mid-Michigan. In 2014, the city suffered through a severe water crisis, wherein the city's drinking water was contaminated with lead and harmful bacteria, devastating the community and its economy. But what we want to know, is what were the root causes of the crisis and what were the short-term and long-term consequences of the crisis for the health and socioeconomic well-being of the affected population? This essay will specifically focus on the political, economic, and social factors that played a role in the crisis, as well as the resolution. It will also explore the lessons learned, and suggest more sustainable practices for water management in the future. The Literature Review During a budget crisis in 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan decided they would no longer use the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, which got its water from Lake Huron, as its water source, and began using the Flint River as its main source of water. From this, residents began to complain about the taste, smell, and overall appearance of their water. Officials had failed to administer corrosion inhibitors into the water, resulting in lead becoming present. In the text, Flint Water Crisis: What Happened and Why? The authors look at the overall cause and

effect of the crisis, specifically what led to the contamination in the first place. It is said that many members of the community spoke out about the possible ramifications of exposing the residents to the river water, “for example, Brian Larkin, then associate director of the (Michigan) Governor’s Office of Urban and Metropolitan Initiatives, foretold the crisis in an … e-mail message… “The expedited time-frame is less than ideal and could lead to some big potential disasters down the road.” Mike Glasgow, laboratory and water quality supervisor at the plant, warned …“I do not anticipate giving the OK to begin sending water out anytime soon. If water is distributed from this plant in the next couple weeks, it will be against my direction”” (Masten et al., 2016). The authors argue that the crisis was not necessarily an isolated incident, but rather a manifestation of larger systemic issues surrounding water management in the United States. Similar to this, the text Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Children Associated With the Flint Drinking Water Crisis: A Spatial Analysis of Risk and Public Health Response , explores how the water crisis, affected children in the Flint community, and more specifically children in high- poverty areas. Given that “Children can absorb 40% to 50% of an oral dose of water-soluble lead compared with 3% to 10% for adults” (Hanna-Attisha et al., 2016), the authors chose to analyze the lead levels in children's blood, both before and after the crisis and reported that the children with elevated lead levels had doubled after the switch. The study argues that the crisis came from a lack of regulatory supervision and accountability, something that could've been prevented, and concludes by emphasizing the importance of comprehensive responses to address the long-term effects of lead exposure on children's health. Finally, the text Preventing another lead (Pb) in drinking water crisis: Lessons from the Washington D.C. and Flint MI contamination events , investigates the legal side of things and compares this event to a similar disaster in the early 2000s of Washington D.C. to identify the lessons learned from both events. The authors argue

that both events were preventable, and were a result of technical, political, and regulatory issues while analyzing the specific path to failure for each disaster; the corrosion control in the water treatment process, and the lack of observance and responsibility. All of these texts combined manage to further promote the importance of exploring the causes, consequences, and lessons learned, as well as highlighting the need to improve water management and protect public health in the United States. The lessons learned, can educate policy decisions and promote greater transparency in the water management process. Results of the Research The initial cause of the Flint, Michigan water crisis was the switch from “treated water from the Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD)” (Masten et al., 2016). However, the crisis worsened when residents started experiencing severe health issues as a result of drinking the contaminated water. There were reports of Escherichia coli (E.coli), and it was noted that the total concentrations of trihalomethane (TTHM) in sampling locations, surpassed the 80 μg/L limit allowed in the water, in other words, 80 micrograms of TTHMs per litre of water. Trihalomethane, another term for a haloform, is a compound derived from methane, that occurs by substituting three hydrogen atoms for halogen atoms. TTHMs often occur when water is disinfected with chlorine; a reaction between chlorine and any organic matter found in water creates TTHMs. Although small trace amounts of TTHMs are legal in water production, extreme exposure can cause concern for developing cancer, as well as possible birth defects in unborn children. Although there is no direct correlation between TTHMs and cancer diagnosis, high levels can create an environment in the body to inhabit mutations, and encourage cells to grow at a rapid rate. As you can see in Table 1, the levels in location 1 are well over 80 μg/L reaching as

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