Contaminated Water Crisis

Two years ago in Flint, Michigan, Mayor Don Williamson decided that they needed to save money by switching their water supply. Usually, Michigan obtained their water supplement from Lake Hudson then switched to the Flint River.

Flint River was not a clean river to begin with, the state was only worried about saving money not protecting people's lives and health. The Flint Water caused lead from aging pipes to leak into the water, which caused high levels of lead.

People are consuming lead at amounts that are very dangerous. After this water switch between 6,000 to 12,000 people Flint, Michigan residents have elevated lead in their blood and experienced a range of serious health problems.

Resident, former aide to Governor Don Williams, Ms. Brown is one of the many living with this contaminated water. In an interview with Kris Maher, Brown says, “Were nothing but the walking dead in Flint.” Brown has been living day by day off of gallons of water from shelter across the city. She washes her body with bottled water to avoid getting rashes, and she also drives 20 miles one a week to be able to take a bath at her sisters. “It is pitiful,” she says.

Lead is very dangerous for someone to consume and it’s irreversible. Pediatrician Hanna Attisha fears children who tested with evaluated levels will suffer longlife consequences. Attisha says, “There's tons of evidence on what lead does to a child, and it is one of the most damning things that you can do to a population. It drops your IQ, it affects your behavior, it's been linked to criminality, it has multigenerational impacts. There is no safe level of lead in a child."

This idea to save money has turned into a terrible crisis. Its cause causes many physical and mental tragedies for over 10,00 families, just to save money.