On Monday, seven families who have been poisoned by lead as a result of the Flint Water Crisis filed a class action lawsuit that could include up to 8,000 young people.
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Flint had been using water from the Detroit system but made the change to save money, planning eventually to join a consortium that would have its own pipeline to the lake.
It argues officials failed to take action over dangerous levels of lead in drinking water and downplayed the severity of the contamination in the financially struggling city.Snyders spokesman Ari Adler said the administration doesnt comment on pending litigation, but is staying focused on solutions for the people of Flint.Numerous lawsuits have been filed on behalf of Flint residents since a public health emergency was declared a year ago.
A portrait of Snyder stood next to a stack of bottled water near the altar of Quinn Chapel AME Church on the city’s south side as pastors and dozens of residents shared their experiences with the city’s water crisis.
Current and former officials and workers in MI and Flint are named as defendants, along with engineering firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, which was hired to assess the feasibility of using Flint River water.
It’s a stark illustration of how devastating the city’s water crisis has been, from both a human and environmental standpoint.
Actor Mark Ruffalo says people across the US need to learn more about Flint’s lead-tainted water crisis.
Other DEQ shortcomings it noted included a failure to ensure that Flint drew enough water samples for testing from high-risk homes with lead pipes or fixtures. The lawsuit seeks unspecified punitive damages, medical monitoring for residents and money to pay for the removal of lead pipes. The first residential lead pipe removal as part of the program took place Friday. Rochester must deal with its main source of lead poisoning, deteriorating paint in housing built before 1978. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anything 5 micrograms per deciliter and above is considered “elevated”, but there is no level in children that is considered safe.
The suit filed Monday alleges that tens of thousands of residents have suffered physical and economic injuries and damages.
Lead contamination isn’t limited to Flint, although the MI city’s problems are probably the worst found. Residents of this country’s cities and towns pay their water bills and hope that when they turn the tap on, they will be drinking, cooking and bathing with safe water.
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State environmental officials who initially played down the lead problem have resigned.
