Pollution In Flint

The city of Flint is 70 miles away from the costs of the Great Lakes which hold the greatest sources of fresh water, yet there residents still can't get clean tap water. 15% of homes in Flint Michigan are boarded up ,40% of the people are in poverty , high unemployment rate, and consistently on a list for most dangerous places to live in the nation .In an attempt to cut budget cost in 2014 Flint stop getting pre treated water from the city of Detroit . Problems began when the city started using water from the Flint river .Flint River is 19 times more corrosive than Lake Huron (Detroit water source) . City and state officials denied for months that there was a serious problem by that time, supply pipes had sustained major corrosion and lead

The lead effects in the drinking water have caused a massive public health crisis (“Scientific Opinion on the risks”, 2015). The whole crisis was as a result of poor management practices employed in the Flint water plant. The city decided to switch the

“In September, Virginia Tech researchers released a report saying Flint's water was creating a health threat in old homes that have lead pipes or pipes fused with lead solder. And doctors last week reported high levels of lead in local children's blood samples, also blaming water pipes” (CBSNEWS). Lead is a serious problem as it may cause a serious damage in different organs of the body especially the brain and it is the most known neurotoxin. However, knowing that lead is the source of the problem is an important piece of information which can facilitate reaching the source of lead leaching. In fact, many cities have lead pipes, not only Flint city, and when water sits in those pipes, the lead can leech into the water. So cities usually add corrosion-control chemicals, such as phosphates (PO4), to keep the lead out of the water. However, Flint did not take into account these precautions, and this was a major contributor to the high lead levels and, consequently, health problems, “the public health protection was gone,” Edwards says. (ALANA SEMUELS, 29 Jul. 2015). If we talked about the reason why the water in Flint’s River is difficult to treat, it turns out that it contains high levels of coliform and fecal coliform bacteria. But what makes it more difficult than Lake Huron water is that the Flint River is subject to temperature changes, rain events and high carbon content. An additional indication, is the increased level of trihalomethanes (TTHM), a byproduct of the large amount of chlorine needed to kill bacteria in the river water. For the most part, specific amounts of chlorine are used to treat river water, but the problem is that low levels of chlorine can produce coliform bacteria and, on the other hand, high levels of chlorine may result in Disinfectant Byproducts (DBP), which, in turn, may lead to elevated levels of

A decision made by officials appointed by state Governor Rick Snyder around April 2014, switched Flint, Michigan’s water supply from the natural Lake Huron to Flint river, which had a high level of salt and was once used as a dumping ground for a local motor company, General Motors

Days after the water source had been switch to Flint river water, reports from Flint residents came flooding in about strange smells and colors in the water. By August, “city officials had issued a boil advisory for the water after E. Choli bacteria was discovered in the water” (Sanburn J. G., 2016). The automobile company, General Motors, announces that it will no longer use Flint’s water stating that it was corroding its engine parts. Children were getting sick. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha from the Hurley’s Children Ward states, in the article Toxic Tap, “It had to take evidence that children were being poisoned for people to listen, and that is too late.” The Hurley Medical Center

Nonetheless, there was a major flaw with their short-term plan. Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality failed to take into account the treatment of river water for human consumption. Initial planning and gathered evidence suggested the purification of the river water for human consumption. This was clearly a requirement. Furthermore, more important was the mandatory introduction of an anti-corrosive agent in the water supply. Since the Department of Environmental Quality failed to implement both of these essential requirements, the water from the Flint River began corroding the water supply pipes that led directly to homes. Several of the pipes were antiquated and composed of lead. This caused an excess in lead in the water supply, way above the maximum imposed by federal guidelines. The combination of all these problems generated severe health problems within the community of Flint,

The town of Flint has a contamination of lead in its water supply, which exposed thousands of residents to lead in water. Before hand, Flint purchased water from Detroit, which properly treated the water with orthophosphate, a chemical that coated the pipes as water flowed through them. This prevents lead from getting into the water. Flint switched from Detroit’s water supply to the Flint River in 2014 to save money. But they did not use corrosion control to prevent lead from entering the water. The river was found eight times more highly corrosive than Detroit’s water. Most residents in Flint have old lead pipe lines. As the the water went through it took the lead with it in those pipes. Immediately after the supply switched the resident knew.

Between April of 2014 and October of 2015, the city of Flint, Michigan redirected their water management from the Detroit Water Authority (DWA), sourced from Lake Heron, to the Flint Water System (FWS), sourced from the Flint River. This was a temporary, cost-saving measure in anticipation of a forthcoming pipeline, also from Lake Heron (Kennedy et al., 2016). After the transition from the DWA to the FWS, residents were concerned with the water’s possible toxicity, questioning its odor, color, and taste. Soon, “bacteria, including Escherichia coli,” as well as “disinfection byproducts including total trihalomethanes [chloroform and bromoform, among others]” were detected in the water (Hanna-Attisha, LaChance, Sadler, & Schnepp, 2016). After the discovery of E. coli in August 2014, residents were instructed to boil their drinking water (Goovaerts, 2016). In December 2014, water samples revealed high levels of lead, copper, and the trihalomethanes mentioned above. Residents then reported skin irritation and declining health and were strongly advised against drinking tap water without testing and filtration. Further testing of the water in February 2015 reported a water lead level (WLL) of 104 µg/L, a number astronomically higher than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s action level of 15 µg/L (Goovaerts, 2016). As a result, on October 16, 2015, the water source was switched back to the DWA. Pregnant and breastfeeding women and children were instructed to drink bottled

Toxic chemicals such as lead and mercury in our environment have links to the causes of cancer, birth defects and mental illness. How can Americans be certain that the water in their household is safe to drink and toxic free? For the people in Flint, Michigan, it is too late for many have been already affected by such toxicity in their water supply. Toxic chemicals in our environment must be better controlled and America’s infrastructure must be properly repaired. This is an urgent need and the elected leaders must be held accountable for any neglect of this most important issue.

Community members raised almost immediate concerns about the water’s quality. Not long after, E.coli and Total Coliform bacteria were detected in the water. City officials advised residents to boil their water, while the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) increased the level of chlorine in in an effort to reduce the discovered bacteria. Noteworthy, General Motors stopped using Flint River water in their plant, concerned about the water corroding their machines. Equally unconvinced by MDEQ’s response, Michigan State government started providing bottle drinking water to government employees. (2.2).

Flint Michigan originally got its water from Lake Huron in Detroit, but in April 2014 the emergency manager to cut costs and to save money by switching the water supply to the Flint River (Durando, "How Water Crisis in Flint, Mich., Became Federal State of Emergency"). Using this river as the water source of this town was a bad idea because it turned out to be highly corrosive and led to lead poisoning of many children. When residents complained about the color, smell, and the effects of the water on their bodies state officials told them that the water was safe for everyday use and that it was colored because of E. coli (Gupta, Our Mouths Were Ajar ': Doctor 's Fight to Expose Flint 's Water Crisis). After numerous complaints about the

As you have seen on the news recently, especially in Flint, Michigan, you cannot leave the treatment of your water in the hands of your city, you have to take responsibility for the water that you and your family drink.

The State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality notified the City of Flint that it was in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act because of the level of total trihalomethanes (TTHMs). TTHMs are disinfection byproducts that occur when chlorine reacts with organic matter. This notification, written in mid-December, was received by Flint on January 2, 2015. State agencies begin buying bottled water for their employees at government offices shortly after.

Using a small city like Flint, Michigan, as a massive advocate for clean water change represents how a little goes a long way. Flint, Michigan, continues to struggle with the public health crisis that unfolded as pollutant measures in the cities tap water spiked to alarming levels. Now the scientists and engineers who helped uncover the crisis have tested galvanized iron pipes extracted from the first affected house. They confirmed that the lead that had gathered from

Water pollution has been a rising crisis in the United States for over a century. Since the Industrial Age, harmful substances have contaminated numerous streams, rivers, and lakes across the country. Clean drinking water is a valuable resource and a key to human survival. Plants and animals also depend on water for their growth, so all water must be kept clean. We have taken small strides to ensure a high quality drinking water for both human and animal consumption. Various laws prohibiting numerous toxic chemicals and wastes from infiltrating our water supply have been made to ensure the safety of our people. However, the precautions we have taken are only temporary and we have yet to come up with a long-term solution. Davey’s article on Flint’s water crisis does a great job detailing how failing to create a reliable and trustworthy solution to contain contaminated water has become a substantial concern across the country.