FLINT WATER CRISIS COLLAPSE

FLINT WATER CRISIS

COLLAPSE

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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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