The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will today present a comprehensive testing plan for Flint water to federal officials, the Detroit Free Press reports. When a pediatrician who stated that the lead levels of children under the age of five in Flint had doubled to risky levels, she became the target of a brief defamation campaign by state officials.
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Lead researcher Michele Prevost says that while newer communities may not feature lead anywhere in their water infrastructure, cities built before 1950 often have thousands of homes that still rely on lead service lines. For instance, more than 10 percent of the children around Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park have tested positive for high lead levels.
Ever since the state admitted there was a problem with Flint’s drinking water, we all have been waiting for more information about how bad – how widespread – the problem might be.
Michael Moore, the documentary filmmaker and activist who is on the ground in his hometown of Flint, Mich., has asked people looking to help in the water crisis not to send bottled water.
$250,000 to the American Red Cross, which is coordinating relief efforts in Flint and is operating the Volunteer Reception Center for people to help with the distribution of water, water filters, replacement cartridges and water testing kits.
“Lead has not been an issue”, Young said of the water tested from GWC’s 16,700 customers, adding that the utility has been recognized for nine consecutive years by the EPA for having water exceeding quality standards.
Shumpert says many of her family members live in Flint.
Residents complained of various health problems from using the local water after this switch, including respiratory disorders and skin lesions, despite officials’ assurances that the water was safe.
The state outlines a new plan of action to make sure the children of Flint get the medical help they need, and are protected from the contaminated water.
Also, Michigan Democrats – noting that the current disaster stems in part from issues related to a state takeover of local operations – have introduced a bill that would repeal the law that lets the governor appoint an emergency financial manager to take control of a local government’s finances. As such, the Flint River (which had been avoided as a water source for decades due to its history of industrial pollution) began to provide over 16 million gallons of water a day to the 100,000 citizens of Flint. Now, residents are forced to use bottled water and many are wondering what health issues they and their children will face in the years ahead. We have political leaders who propose river-conscious policies, like the comprehensive street-sweep the Public Works Department tackles every fall. The corrosive water lacked adequate treatment and caused lead to leach from old pipes in homes and schools. Federal rules require that testing be done, but water utility officials are allowed to carry out their tests in ways that allow unsafe amounts of lead to go undetected. “We need to look at more of the water and plumbing structure and that’s a great effort”, Creagh said Sunday.
“Normally when we collect samples that are representative of an entire system, it’s not almost this robust”, says Durno.
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1-4 ppb – 30.5%.
