The mayor of Flint, Michigan on Monday night declared a State of Emergency over lead poisoning from the drinking water-after more than a year of public outcry that residents, particularly children, are being irreparably harmed by the risky toxin.
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Exposure to lead can cause behavior problems and learning disabilities in young children. Many, including the city’s mayor, suspect that a change in the city’s main water source in 2014 – a switch from the Detroit water system to Flint River – is to blame for illnesses among the city’s children. (Lead has particularly damaging effects on children.) The city previously declared a “public health emergency” in October.
Although the water, then being taken from the Flint River, was treated, it was still corrosive and released lead from old plumbing in thousands of homes. In July, the People’s Water Board Coalition staged a march from Detroit-itself the site of a water-related human rights crisis-to Flint demanding “clean and affordable water in MI”. In January, the state informed Flint’s residents that the city’s water carries unlawful amounts of a chlorine byproduct that has been linked to diseases such as cancer.
Last month, Flint residents filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city and state of endangering their health by exposing them to risky lead levels in their tap water, after switching their supply in April 2014 to save money. The Flint River was supposed to be an interim source until the city could join a new system getting water from Lake Huron.
Councilman Josh Freeman said he doesn’t want residents to expect immediate help with the city’s water infrastructure, including lead service lines, because of the declaration.
“It’s not going to change anything…Nothing more can be done”, said Curtis, who said he has no plan to call a special meeting to consider a vote of support for the declaration.
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“We need to find a way to actually fix the problem”, Freeman said.
