Unit 7

The EPA provided action level for lead in drinking water as precautionary measures. The first one is flushing the pipes prior to drinking the water to run off the water that had accumulated lead because of sitting in the pipes for a while like six hours and

All the inhabitants of Flint communities regardless of their location had irreversible, permanent brain damage due to lead-contaminated water. It started when traces of E. coli and total coliform were found in the Flint River. The city addressed this problem by increasing chlorine levels in the water, causing the pipes to corrode, releasing lead into the waters. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) were also formed in the water (they are carcinogenic to humans).TTHM is a disinfection byproduct that occur when chlorine interacts with organic matter in the water. At this stage, The lead levels in the water was 13,200 ppb. Water is considered hazardous waste at 5,000ppb (NPR 2016). This tragedy goes to show that this toxic runoff, or even the miss-handling of the water resources in a watershed can affect everyone as the downstream water was piped up into the upstream communities.

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

A month later, tests performed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showed that excessive rates of lead were present in the water supply, rates that far exceeded the EPA’s limit (CNN, 2017). Another test in March indicated even higher levels of lead. A switch back to the DWSD was proposed and denied following the second test. A lawsuit was also filed against the city claiming the water to be a health risk, but the case was dismissed.

The article, “Lead Levels Remain High in Flint’s Water” by Matt Davenport explores the increased lead contamination in the Flint, Michigan water source. In April of 2014, high levels of bacteria, and fecal matter were detected in the water of Flint, Michigan. While the levels of bacteria decreased, the city’s water still breaks the federal rule for lead levels. A series of tests conducted by Marc A. Edwards was able to show that the city’s contaminated water was corroding pipes, which leached lead into the water. Because Edwards was able to inform the public about the contaminated water source, Michigan officials have taken steps to improve Flint’s water quality. For example, the water-pipes were re-routed to carry water from Detroit instead

Many service lines leading into homes are leaching lead into the water. This problem happened because the city of Flint decided to not treat the water properly with corrosion control (Ganrin, 2016). This proves that officials did not care about those living in Flint. They chose to save money but instead they destroyed many lives. So this proves that our government is not there to help the people out, but instead to cut money wherever they feel necessary to not have to take it from other places. Lead poisoning can affect IQ and behavior. This can cause some people to become score low on standardized test and to become violent and to sometimes harm others. No level of lead is ever safe in any person or animal (Ganrin, 2016). The water source in Flint is currently undrinkable and very unsafe and will continue to be for months ahead ("Researcher: Flint water 'like Russian roulette'," 2016). Flint water is not a safe water source and has not been for many months. According to federal regulations Flint's water supply still does not meet standards. Since August 2015 the water supply has improved, but it still is not safe ("Researcher: Flint water 'like Russian roulette'," 2016). The people of Flint have been poisoned under their noses without even knowing it, secretly being sickened by their own government. Flint’s water is not safe it's an unreliable water

In Flint Michigan studies show there was a large amount of lead in the water , because of this high turbidity in the water witch means this water is dangerous.

“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

The rules for lead and copper have changed over the years, so let’s start at the beginning. Lead was originally regulated under the Public Health Service Act of 1962, which established a guideline of 0.050 mg/L (ppm) for lead in drinking water. This was carried over into the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974. It wasn’t until 1991 that regulation changed significantly under the Lead and Copper Rule. This rule regulates how public water supplies must deal with the potential of lead and copper in the drinking water. Additionally, there is also the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, which regulates the amount of lead that can be in products that could come into contact with drinking water, like pipes, plumbing fitting, fixtures, solder and flux.

“The more we complained about it to those in charge, the more we were told it was fine” is what Bishop Jefferson (2016), along with numerous other Flint residents, is saying about the on going situation with the Flint drinking water. Since April of 2014, many residents living in Flint, Michigan, have been cursed with a number of health effects that were caused by the change of the drinking water source from Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Flint River which has been contaminated with lead. “Lead is a naturally occurring element found in small amounts in the earth’s crust”(2015). Although it is beneficial in some ways, it can be toxic to humans and animals and cause many health problems. So, when lead leached its way into the water

The more polluted a water source is, the more processing required to make the water safe to drink. Most of the contaminants now in Flint’s drinking water were introduced during or after processing. For all drinking water, the first concern is bacteria, which can cause diseases like hepatitis, Legionnaire’s disease, and other illnesses. Because Flint’s river water had high levels of bacteria, it was treated with additional chlorine. Chlorine reacts with organic material in the water to produce carcinogenic byproducts such as trihalomethanes; it also makes water more acidic, which corrodes pipes. Federal law mandates adding anti-corrosive agents to drinking water in large cities; this standard water treatment practice was not followed (Carmody, 2016). The water created issues with lead due to its high acidity. Water service connections have been made for years using lead piping primarily in the 1920s and 1930s. The acidic water corroded the old lead pipes and lead seeped into the water. Lead poisoning is the most widespread and serious health problem associated with Flint’s drinking water; children with prolonged exposure to lead experience a range of developmental problems that are incurable. Flint’s water-treatment staff were not able to successfully make Flint River water safe to drink. Whether this is because they were undertrained, understaffed, or simply made a decision not to invest scarce

As American citizen, I have become very concerned with the recent discovery on the toxic amount of lead found in America’s water. Throughout the article “Schools Nationwide Still Grapple with Lead in Water”, the author sheds light on elevated amounts of led found in schools across the U.S. In my beliefs it is outrages that took a tragedy such as Flint, Michigan to compel the government to look into the water in the U.S. While reading the article I discover that elevated lead water is not a recent matter and the government has been neglecting their duties of keeping the public safe since the late 90’s. Furthermore, the issue is very frustrating for students, parents, and teachers because they are all being affected by the lead found in the

Sanitary water is imperative for survival. In the United States people use clean water for drinking, household needs, agriculture, recreation, industry and commerce and thermoelectricity (CDC). Sanitary drinking water is most important, because contaminated drinking water can become a serious health hazard. One of the most dangerous water contaminates to human health is lead. Lead is considered a dangerous heavy metal contaminate, which generally cannot be seen in water. In drinking water lead can have adverse effects on the health of both children and adults (EPA). Approximately 18 million Americans are provided drinking water that violates the federal lead level safety standards (guardian).

The issue of drinking water safety is not new, however many citizens do not appreciate the work and money that goes into providing this water. There are many steps that must take place, and several systems that clean the water and deliver it to them. The most pressing issues surrounding this are lead contamination from different pipes and sources, and contamination from the introduction of chemicals to the water before and after treatment centers

Clean water is imperative for survival. In the United States people use clean water for drinking, household needs, agriculture, recreation, industry and commerce and thermoelectricity (CDC). Clean drinking water is most important, because if drinking water becomes contaminated, it becomes a serious health hazard. One of the most dangerous contaminates to human health is lead. Lead is considered a dangerous heavy metal contaminate. Lead in drinking water can have adverse effects on both children and adults (EPA). Approximately 18 million Americans are provided drinking water that violates the federal laws for lead levels (guardian).