Lead Poisoning in Flint, Michigan Bec Boucher, Aniya Bradshaw, Hailey Gardiner, Kendall Inge

What’s Happening? Started 2011 Michigan trying to cut costs Switching Flint’s water supply from lake Huron to the filthy Flint river Lead leaks into water Refuses detroit's help because of the costs Scientists start doing research Finds high levels of lead in water and in patients They stop using the Flint river for their water source

What Type of Pollution is at Play? Seeing as the lead from the pipes was seeping into the water, this is water pollution

Impact on Ecosystem Lead can poison the air, soil and water. It can remain in the air as dust particles indefinitely. Plants can absorb the lead through the air and the soil Lead affects the central nervous system of animals, and can cause death if lead exposure continues over a long period of time. Organic lead is more likely to be ingested by birds and fish then any other animal. If exposed, certain birds can fall into a coma and die.

Impact on People People living in Flint, Michigan complained about the color, taste, and odor of the water. The city took 120 samples of the water and found extremely high lead levels. Blood lead levels in children increased significantly Some children in the area suffer from the side effects of lead poisoning, such as developmental delay, learning difficulties, weight loss and memory loss.

Legislation On December 9, 2016, the US Senate passed a bill that included $170m to remove lead tainted pipes from Flint, But reports in the following January declared it still unsafe to drink, the expectation being that only 30% (6,000 out of 20,000) of the pipes would be replaced by the end of 2017. On March 5, 2018, Flint’s Mayor, Karen Weaver, declared: “I have been, and still am, a proponent of bottled water being provided to residents until all lead-tainted service lines leading to homes in Flint have been replaced,”

Remediation EPA donates $100 million to michigan for flint water upgrades. Regarded the old pipes and replaced them with new one’s, then decided to switch back to the old water system to prevent any more damage. HHS awards $100 million to help families affected by lead poisoning. Michigan's childhood lead poisoning prevention program provided education regarding lead poisoning hazards.

Water from Flint

Sources Flint, Michigan Crisis at a Glance. Emanuella Grinberg, CNN. 4/20/16 Flint water crisis. Jamiles Lartey, The Guardian. 12/10/16 Lead Levels in Flint Water Drop. Liam Stack, NY Times. 1/24/17 Flint mayor wants state-funded bottled water. Ron Fonger, MLive. 3/5/18 Effects of lead on the environment. Deni Greene, Lead Action News. July 1993 Michigan Gov http://www.michigan.gov/lead/0,5417,7-310--305271--,00.html https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2017/06/30/hhs-awards-15-million-help-families-affected-lead-exposure-flint-mi.html