What was the cause of the Flint MI drinking water crisis?

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The Flint water crisis began in 2014 when the city began taking water from the Flint River without treating it properly, contaminating it with lead. 24, 2015: A group of doctors urges Flint to stop using the Flint River after finding high levels of lead in children’s blood.

What caused lead poisoning in Flint Michigan?

The cause of lead leaching into the water in Flint was corrosion of the water distribution system’s service pipes and solder.

How has the Flint water crisis affected Michigan life?

Flint water crisis, man-made public health crisis (April 2014–June 2016) involving the municipal water supply system of Flint, Michigan. Tens of thousands of Flint residents were exposed to dangerous levels of lead, and outbreaks of Legionnaire disease killed at least 12 people and sickened dozens more.

Why did they switch to the Flint River for water?

On April 25, 2014 officials from Flint, Michigan switched the city’s water supply to the Flint River as a cost-cutting measure for the struggling city. coli and coliform bacteria were detected in Flint’s water.

Is water in Flint safe now?

It is safe even if the skin has minor cuts or scrapes. Never drink bathwater, and do not allow babies and children to drink bathwater. Rashes have many causes, but no medical link between rashes and unfiltered water has been found.

Who did the Flint water crisis Affect?

The Flint water crisis was one of the country’s worst public health crises in recent memory. The case became emblematic of racial inequality in the United States as it afflicted a city of about 100,000 people, more than half of whom are African-Americans.

Who switched the water supply in Flint?

Rick Snyder was charged Wednesday for his role in the Flint water crisis, an environmental disaster that contaminated the majority Black city’s drinking water with lead nearly seven years ago.

Why is lead in water bad?

EPA has set the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero because lead is a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels. Lead is persistent, and it can bioaccumulate in the body over time.

What causes lead in drinking water?

How Lead Gets into Drinking Water. Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and fixtures.

Can lead water pipes cause illness?

Lead dissolving into drinking water from lead pipes can be harmful if it builds up in the body – especially for babies and children, whose development can be affected.

What caused the water crisis in Flint Michigan?

Brittany Greeson A story of environmental injustice and bad decision making, the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, began in 2014, when the city switched its drinking water supply from Detroit’s system to the Flint River in a cost-saving move.

Why are we still drinking bottled water six years after Flint?

Six years after the Flint water crisis began, crews are still replacing the lead pipes that made so many residents sick, and people are still relying on bottled water. We wake up, we brush our teeth with bottled water. We drink bottled water.

How will the Flint water settlement affect lawsuits?

The city stopped taking its drinking water from the Flint River in 2015, but the effects, medical and otherwise, still linger. The settlement must be approved by a federal judge, and doesn’t affect other lawsuits against the federal EPA and engineering firms involved in the water project.

Is Flint’s lead water safe?

However, it is important to note that thousands of Flint residents are still getting their water from lead pipes. The federal action level for lead is not a health-based number; it merely is an administrative trigger for remediation by the water utility.