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Flint, Michigan, lead poisoning scandal

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JessM Thu 28-Jan-16 09:11:24

I have been reading about this with interest. A down-at-heel town in the state of Michigan has been receiving poor quality contaminated water for months. The acidity in the water changed when a new supply was needed. This has been dissolving lead pipes so that the water is contaminated with lead and is therefore harmful for the brains of developing children. Looks like its been dissolving the iron in other pipes as well, making it look murky and orange. People are confused and frightened. A scandalous story and one that highlights the shoddy way the US cares for its citizens. It also made me think how lucky we are to live in the EU where water services are highly regulated and carefully monitored. Over the last 20 years, since the EU took control of this, billions have been spent on our water works and the pipework that brings the water to our taps.
Water - the most essential service of all and the easiest to take for granted.

(pasting an aljazeera link, just for variety, but there is massive coverage if you Google it)
www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/michigan-state-sued-flint-toxic-water-disaster-160115131132739.html

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Nelliemoser Thu 28-Jan-16 10:03:35

This story has taken an awfully long time to get to the UK. I was hearing about this on a Facebook site weeks ago. I have never heard anything about it on the UK news.

usuncut.com/news/house-republicans-call-everyone-except-rick-snyder-for-flint-congressional-hearing-on-lead-poisoning-crisis/

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crun Thu 28-Jan-16 11:22:48

This is a fascinating read for anyone who's interested. It's the history of waterborne disease, all the way from John Snow and the Broad Street pump right up to the modern day. It's tempting to think that waterborne disease is a thing of the past, or of the third world, but it's not so. IIRC one of the biggest disasters of all was a modern one in the USA.

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JessM Thu 28-Jan-16 17:47:09

Yes it's a fascinating subject. Don't recall any outbreaks of waterborne illness in UK for a while though.

IIRC ?

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Elegran Thu 28-Jan-16 18:32:07

"It’s a horrific tale of how science was basically ignored because of politics, and legitimate scientific concerns about a policy that changed the water source for an entire city were downplayed, derided, and even denied by state officials at every level of government." writes David Gorski who lives in Michigan. He recounts the bumbling and cover-ups that led to the poisoning, and the incredibly high levels of lead in the water on an article on the site Science-based Medicine.org under Flint water crisis

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JessM Thu 28-Jan-16 20:44:21

Oh yes he is a good guy, fighting the fight against pseudo science and anti-science. What a tale of incompetence and denial.
There may be lead pipes leading to some UK houses but because of the careful management of what comes from water works, and regular random testing we can relax and drink the water knowing it is safe.

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