Anthropological Description of the Neolithic Revolution

For the Final Paper, you will choose one civilization from the resource list (attach list is below), and summarize the impact of the Neolithic revolution on the selected civilization. The textbook also lists and explores seven characteristics of a civilization (Food Surplus, Large Dense Populations, Social Stratification, A Formal Government, Labor Specialization, Recording Keeping, and Monumental Works) . You will choose three of these characteristics and assess how they are manifested in your chosen civilization. You must use a minimum of one scholarly source from the provided list of Ashford University Library resources, in addition to the text.

In your paper:

• Describe one of the civilizations from the list provided (i.e., location, environment, and relevant history of the civilization).
• Explain how the Neolithic revolution contributed to the origins of your chosen civilization.
• Summarize three of the characteristics of civilizations and assess how they are manifested in your chosen civilization.
• Provide supporting archaeological evidence that those characteristics manifested within your chosen civilization.
• Explain the factors that led to the downfall of the chosen civilization.

Writing the Final Paper
The Final Paper:

1. Must be five double-spaced pages in length (excluding title and reference pages), and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
2. Must include a title page with the following:
   1. Title of paper
   2. Students name
   3. Course name and number
   4. Instructors name
   5. Date submitted
3. Must use at least one scholarly source from the resource list provided, in addition to the course text.
4. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
5. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.Ancient Egypt:

   e-Books

   Baines, J. (2007). Visual and written culture in ancient Egypt. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Ancient Egypt.

   Brier, B., and Hobbs, H. (1999). Daily life of the ancient Egyptians. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Ancient Egypt.

   Chadwick, R. (2005). First civilizations: Ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Ancient Egypt.

   David, R. (1997). The pyramid builders of ancient Egypt: A modern investigation of pharaoh’s workforce. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Ancient Egypt.

   Graves-Brown, C. (2010). Dancing for Hathor: Women in Ancient Egypt. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Ancient Egypt.

   Article

   Kemp, B., Stevens, A., Dabbs, G. R., Zabecki, M., & Rose, J. C. (2013). Life, death and beyond in Akhenaten’s Egypt: Excavating the South Tombs Cemetery at Amarna. Antiquity, 87(335), 64-78. Retrieved from http://antiquity.ac.uk/

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Ancient Egypt.

   Minoan Crete

   e-Book

   McEnroe, J. C. (2010). Architecture of Minoan Crete: Constructing identity in the Aegean Bronze age. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Minoan Crete.

   Articles

   Adams, E. (2007). Approaching monuments in the prehistoric built environment: New light on the Minoan palaces. Oxford Journal of Archaeology,26(4), 359-394. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0092.2007.00289.x

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Minoan Crete.

   Grammatikakis, I. E. (2011). The woman in Minoic Crete. Journal Of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, 24(7), 968-972. doi:10.3109/14767058.2010.531328

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Minoan Crete.

   Hamilakis, Y. (1999). Food technologies/technologies of the body: The social context of wine and oil production and consumption in Bronze Age Crete. World Archaeology, 31(1), 38. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rwar20#.VYnD5PlVhBc

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Minoan Crete.

   Letesson, Q., & Vansteenhuyse, K. (2007). Towards an archaeology of perception: ‘Looking’ at the Minoan palaces. Journal Of Mediterranean Archaeology, 19(1), 91-119. doi:10.1558/jmea.2006.19.1.91

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Minoan Crete.

   Schoep, I. (1999). The origins of writing and administration on Crete. Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 18(3), 265. Retrieved from http://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/oja.html

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Minoan Crete.

   Schoep, I. (2002). Social and political organization on Crete in the Proto-Palatial period: The case of Middle Minoan II Malia. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology,15(1), 101-132. Retrieved from http://www.equinoxpub.com/journals/index.php/JMA

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Minoan Crete.

   Schoep, I. (2010). The Minoan ‘palace-temple’ reconsidered: A critical assessment of the spatial concentration of political, religious and economic power in Bronze Age Crete. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology, 23(2), 219-243. doi:10.1558/jmea.v23i2.219

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Minoan Crete.

   Great Zimbabwe

   Articles

   Chirikure, S., & Pikirayi, I. (2008). Inside and outside the dry stone walls: revisiting the material culture of Great Zimbabwe. Antiquity, 82(318), 976-993. Retrieved from http://antiquity.ac.uk/

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Great Zimbabwe.

   Hills, A. (1988). Cross current: Great Zimbabwe’s trading past. History Today, 38(8), 4. Retrieved from http://www.historytoday.com/

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Great Zimbabwe.

   Kim, N. C., & Kusimba, C. M. (2008). New pathways to social complexity and state formation in the southern Zambezian region. African Archaeological Review, 25(3/4), 131-152. doi:10.1007/s10437-008-9031-3

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Great Zimbabwe.

   Ndoro, W. (2005). Great Zimbabwe. Scientific American Special Edition, 15(1), 74. Retrieved from http://www.sciam.com

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Great Zimbabwe.

   Qin Dynasty

   e-Book

   Man, J. (2009). Terra Cotta Army: China’s first emperor and the birth of a nation. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Qin Dynasty.

   Articles

   Li, X. J., Bevan, A., Martinón-Torres, M., Rehren, T., Cao, W., Xia, Y., & Zhao, K. (2014). Crossbows and imperial craft organisation: The bronze triggers of China’s Terracotta Army. Antiquity, 88(339), 126-140. Retrieved from http://antiquity.ac.uk/

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Qin Dynasty.

   Lubow, A. (2009). On the march. Smithsonian, 40(4), 34-42. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Qin Dynasty.

   Sanft, C. (2010). Law and communication in Qin and Western Han China. Journal of The Economic & Social History Of The Orient, 53(5), 679-711. doi:10.1163/156852010X539140

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Qin Dynasty.

   Yang, S., Zheng, Z., Huang, K., Zong, Y., Wang, J., Xu, Q. & Li, J. (2012). Modern pollen assemblages from cultivated rice fields and rice pollen morphology: Application to a study of ancient land use and agriculture in the Pearl River Delta, China. The Holocene, 22(12), 1393-1404. doi:10.1177/0959683612449761

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Qin Dynasty.

   Zhang, H. Q., Liu, F. E., Liu, W. K., Du, J. Q., Wu, X. M., Chen, X. M., & Liao, G. X. (2011). Sex identification of slave sacrifice victims from Qin state tombs in the Spring and Autumn period of China using ancient DNA. Archaeometry, 53(3), 600-613. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4754.2010.00553.x

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Qin Dynasty.

   Shang Dynasty

   Articles

   Flad, R. K. (2008). Divination and power. Current Anthropology, 49(3), 403-437. doi:10.1086/588495

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Shang Dynasty.

   Smith, D. H. (1961). Chinese religion in the Shang Dynasty. Numen, 142-150. Retrieved from http://www.brill.com/numen

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the JSTOR database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Shang Dynasty.

   Hessler, P. (2003). The new story of China’s ancient past. National Geographic Society, 204(1), 56. Retrieved from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/features/world/asia/china/shang-text.html

   This resource directly supports the essay selection: Shang Dynasty.

   Sellmann, J. D. (2006). On the origin of Shang and Zhou law. Asian Philosophy, 16(1), 49-64. doi:10.1080/09552360500491866

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Shang Dynasty.

   Campbell, R. B., Li, Z., He, Y., & Jing, Y. (2011). Consumption, exchange and production at the Great Settlement Shang: bone-working at Tiesanlu, Anyang. Antiquity, 85(330), 1279-1297. Retrieved from http://antiquity.ac.uk/

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Shang Dynasty.

   Ancient Maya

   Multimedia

   Carroll, A. (Writer, Director, & Producer). (2000). Code of the Maya kings [Video file]. Retrieved from https://secure-films-com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?token=40846&aid=18596&plt=FOD&loid=0&w=420&h=315&fWidth=440&fHeight=365http://digital.films.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=18596&xtid=40846

   · This video can be accessed through the Films On Demand database in the Ashford University Library. This video supports the Week Five Assignment’s Maya Dynasty essay selection. This source has accurate closed captioning and a transcript.

   · Accessibility Statement

   · Privacy Policy

   e-Books

   Lohse, J. C., & Valdez, F. (2004). Ancient Maya commoners. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Maya Dynasty.

   Foias, A. E. (2013). Ancient Maya political dynamics. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Maya Dynasty.

   Articles

   Freidel, D., Rich, M., & Reilly III, F. K. (2010). Resurrecting the maize king. Archaeology, 63(5), 42-45. Retrieved from http://www.archaeology.org/

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Maya Dynasty.

   Glover, J. B. (2012). The Yalahau region: A study of ancient Maya sociopolitical organization. Ancient Mesoamerica, 23(2), 271. doi:10.1017/S095653611200020X

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the ProQuest database in the Ashford University Library, or by clicking on Findit@AU and clicking on Check for Full Text @ Ashford. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Maya Dynasty.

   Isendahl, C. (2012). Agro-urban landscapes: The example of Maya lowland cities. Antiquity, 86(334), 1112-1125. Retrieved from http://antiquity.ac.uk/

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Maya Dynasty.

   Lucero, L. J., Fedick, S. L., Dunning, N. P., Lentz, D. L., & Scarborough, V. L. (2014). 3 Water and landscape: Ancient Maya settlement decisions. Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association, 24(1), 30-42. doi:10.1111/apaa.12027

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Maya Dynasty.

   Peterson, L. C., & Haug, G. H. (2005). Climate and the collapse of Maya civilization. American Scientist, 93(4), 322-329. Retrieved from http://www.sigmaxi.org

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Maya Dynasty.

   Teotihuacan

   e-Book

   Headrick, A. (2007). Teotihuacan Trinity: The sociopolitical structure of an ancient Mesoamerican city. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Teotihuacan Civilization

   Articles

   Clayton, S. C. (2013). Measuring the long arm of the state: Teotihuacan’s relations in the basin of Mexico. Ancient Mesoamerica, 24(1), 87. doi:10.1017/S0956536113000059

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the ProQuest database in the Ashford University Library, or by clicking on Findit@AU and clicking on Check for Full Text @ Ashford. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Teotihuacan Civilization

   Conides, C. A. (1997). Social relations among potters in Teotihuacan, Mexico. Museum Anthropology, 21(2), 39. doi:10.1525/mua.1997.21.2.39

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the Wiley Online Library database in the Ashford University Library, or by clicking on Findit@AU and clicking on Check for Full Text @ Ashford. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Teotihuacan.

   Cowgill, G. L. (2008). An update on Teotihuacan. Antiquity, 82(318), 962-975. Retrieved from http://antiquity.ac.uk/

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Teotihuacan Civilization.

   de Lara, J. P. (2005). Temple of the Sun. Archaeology, 58(6), 36. Retrieved from http://www.archaeology.org/

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Teotihuacan Civilization.

   Vance, E. (2014). Gods of Blood & Stone. Scientific American, 311(1), 48-55. Retrieved from http://www.sciam.com/

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Teotihuacan Civilization.

   Aztecs

   e-Books

   Carrasco, D. (1999). Aztec ceremonial landscapes. Retrieved from https://www.ebscohost.com/

   The full-text version of this ebook can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Aztecs Civilization.

   Carrasco, D. (2011). The Aztecs: A very short introduction. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Aztecs Civilization.

    

   Articles

   Hodge, M. G. (1998). Archaeological views of Aztec culture. Journal of Archaeological Research, 6(3), 197-238. Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com/home/main.mpx

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Aztecs Civilization.

   Pennock, C. D. (2011). ‘A remarkably patterned life’: Domestic and public in the Aztec Household City. Gender & History, 23(3), 528-546. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0424.2011.01652.x

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Aztecs Civilization.

   Smith, M. E. (2005). Life in the provinces of the Aztec empire. Scientific American Special Edition, 15(1), 90. Retrieved from http://www.sciam.com

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Aztecs Civilization.

   Incas

   e-Book

   Sarmiento de Gamboa, P., Bauer, B. S., & Smith-Oka, V. (2007). The history of the Incas. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Incas Civilization.

    

   Articles

   Dean, C. (2007). The Inca married the Earth: Integrated outcrops and the making of place. Art Bulletin, 89(3), 502. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rcab20#.VYnbOflVhBc

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Incas Civilization.

   Wright, K. R., & Zegarra, A. V. (1999). Ancient Machu Picchu drainage engineering. Journal of Irrigation & Drainage Engineering, 125(6), 360. Retrieved from http://ojps.aip.org/iro/

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Incas Civilization.

   Zuidema, R. T. (1990). Inca civilization in Cuzco. American Anthropologist, 94(1), p.222. Retrieved from http://aaanet.org

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the JSTOR database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Incas Civilization

   Moche

   e-Book

   Benson, E. P. (2012). William and Bettye Nowlin series in art, history, and culture of the Western Hemisphere: Worlds of the Moche on the north coast of Peru. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Moche Civilization

   Bourget, S., & Jones, K. L. (2008). The art and archaeology of the Moche. Retrieved from Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Moche Civilization

   Article

   Moseley, M. E. (1975). Prehistoric principles of labor organization in the Moche Valley, Peru. American Antiquity, (2). 191. doi:10.2307/279614

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the JSTOR database in the Ashford University University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Moche Civilization.

   Cahokia

   Articles

   Cahokia Mounds: Prehistoric Indian city. (2010). Arkansas Review: A Journal of Delta Studies, 41(1), 62-65. Retrieved from http://altweb.astate.edu/arkreview/default.htm

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Cahokia Civilization.

   Emerson, T. E. (2002). An introduction to Cahokia 2002: Diversity, complexity, and history. Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology, 27(2). pp.127-148. Retrieved from http://www.maneyonline.com/loi/mca

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the JSTOR database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Cahokia Civilization

   Emerson, T. E. (2013). Re-envisioning Cahokia – It is bigger than you think! (Cover story). Illinois Antiquity, 48(2), 1-3. Retrieved from http://www.museum.state.il.us/iaaa/

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Cahokia Civilization.

   Givens, R. (2012). Clues to demise of Cahokia uncovered. American History, (5), 8. Retrieved from http://www.historynetshop.com/aboutus.html

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Cahokia Civilization.

   Trubitt, M. B. D. (2000). Mound building and prestige goods exchange: Changing strategies in the Cahokia chiefdom. American Antiquity, (4). 669. doi: 10.2307/2694421

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the JSTOR database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Cahokia Civilization.

   Pauketat, T. R., Kelly, L. S., Fritz, G. J., Lopinot, N. H., Elias, S., & Hargrave, E. (2002). The residues of feasting and public ritual at early Cahokia. American Antiquity, (2). 257. doi:10.2307/2694566

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the JSTOR database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Cahokia Civilization

   Anasazi

   Articles

   Johnson, M., & Johnson, D. (1971). The Anasazi great house. Perspecta, 367. doi:10.2307/1566994

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Cahokia Civilization.

   Kohler, T. A., & Matthews, M. H. (1988). Long-term Anasazi land use and forest reduction: A case study from Southwest Colorado. American Antiquity, (3). 537. doi:10.2307/281216

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the JSTOR database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Anasazi Civilization.

   Hohokam

   Bayman, J. M. (2001). The Hohokam of southwest North America. Journal of World Prehistory, 15(3), 257-311. Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com/home/main.mpx

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Hohokam Civilization.

   Hill, J. B., Clark, J. J., William H., D., & Lyons, P. D. (2004). Prehistoric demography in the Southwest: migration, coalescence, and Hohokam population decline. American Antiquity, (4). 689. doi:10.2307/4128444

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the JSTOR database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Hohokam Civilization.

   Hunt, R. C., Guillet, D., Abbott, D. R., Bayman, J., Fish, P., Fish, S., Kintigh, K., & Neely, J. A. (2005). Plausible ethnographic analogies for the social organization of Hohokam Canal irrigation. American Antiquity, (3). 433. doi:10.2307/40035308

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the JSTOR database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Hohokam Civilization.

   Motsinger, T. N. (1998). Hohokam roads at Snaketown, Arizona. Journal of Field Archaeology, (1). 89. doi:10.2307/530459

   The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the JSTOR database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the essay selection: Hohokam Civilization.

   Neolithic Revolution (Generally)

   e-Books

   Barker, G. (2009). Agricultural revolution in prehistory: Why did foragers become farmers? Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the general topic of the Neolithic revolution.

   Simmons, A. H. (2011). Neolithic revolution in the near East: Transforming the human landscape. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

   The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. This resource directly supports the general topic of the Neolithic revolution.

FLINT WATER CRISIS

COLLAPSE

Top of Form

In 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan, merely as a cost saving measure, changed the water supply source from Lake Huron in Detroit, Michigan to the Flint River1,2.  Corrosion-control treatments required by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper Rule were discontinued.  As a result, the water reaching consumers was 19 times more corrosive than before the switch2.  The more corrosive water readily dissolved metals to include lead.

Children and low-income individuals in this population were most vulnerable.  Children were vulnerable in this switch because of their ability to quickly absorb ingested lead.  Children are also more vulnerable because the development of the central nervous system is easily disturbed resulting in cognitive and behavioral abnormalities.  The burden of childhood lead poisoning has been most prevelant in economically disadvantaged populations.  4 in 10 families in Flint, MI live below the poverty line, unemployment rates are high and majority of the population is Black2.  This disadvantaged population is more likely to live in housing that is in poor repair with walls covered in lead paint, in neighborhoods with soil and dust lead concentrations, and with nutritional deficiencies that increase lead absorption.    The disadvantaged population usually has limited access to healthy foods hence nutritional deficiencies.  In a study performed in 2014-2015 on African-American women’s perceptions of food access in Flint, MI, most women deemed access to healthy foods as a barrier.  Most reported a lack of stores within walking distance, lack of good-quality foods, and poor service/discrimination.  5 large grocery stores closed in the city and within a 3 mile radius outside the city3.  Eatright.org recommends a diet full of fruits, vegetables, and calcium, iron, and Vitamin C rich foods.  Healthy food makes it more difficult for lead to be absorbed in the body4.  This is near impossible for certain populations in Flint.  If the person of power who ordered the switch would have considered all the consequences of the switch including the potential health damages, this social crime/man-made disaster could have been prevented.  The event will hopefully cause state officials to consider how social and environmental changes can effect public health.

1.  Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) After the Flint Water Crisis.  https://www.michigan.gov/documents/flintwater/CASPER_Report_540077_7.pdf.  Accessed December 18, 2017.

2.  Bellinger D.  Lead Contamination in Flint–An Abject Failure to Protect Public Health.  The New England Journal of Medicine.  2016:374(12):1101-1103.

3.  Mayfield K, Carolan M, Weatherspoon L, Chung K, Hoerr S.  African American Women’s Perceptions on Access to Food and Water in Flint, Michigan.  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.  2017:49(6):519-524.

4.  How to Fight Lead Exposure with Nutrition.  http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/wellness/preventing-illness/how-to-fight-lead-exposure-with-nutrition.  Accessed December 18, 2017.

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