Release Date: March 18, 2016
America’s political blame game continues while children continue to suffer life impairing harm. The nation was riveted this week as Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chief Gina McCarthy were grilled over the shameful inaction on the Flint, Michigan water crisis by members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. There is plenty of blame to go around. But where is the action for the children and families of Flint? Every day we delay the damage to children and their families grows. While Congressional members were calling for accountability and resignations, water in Flint was being tested again. Recent testing at one home in Flint found lead poisoning levels of 11,846 parts per billion. When 5,000 parts per billion is considered hazardous waste, why are we wasting time apportioning blame before the problem is fixed and the poor children and families of Flint have fresh, clean water to drink and cook with and bathe in? Tick, tock, tick tock.
During the months following the governor-appointed emergency manager's April 2014 reckless decision to switch its water supply from Lake Huron and Detroit’s system to the Flint River corrosive water as a cost-saving measure – never mind its health and life threatening impact on the children and citizens of Flint – and the delayed decision to tell residents to stop drinking the water in October 2015, the crisis in Flint has too many shameful moments to recount at so many levels. Authorities disregarded or hid evidence and misled residents who could clearly see, taste, and smell the problem for themselves and put the city’s financial concerns ahead of concerns for child and adult life and well-being. The revelation that General Motors stopped using Flint’s water in its manufacturing plant in October 2014 and told the city it was too corrosive for its car parts was a full year before authorities admitted and warned people not to drink, cook with, or bathe in it. Tick, tock, tick tock, tick tock.
The state’s quiet January 2015 late action to provide bottled water just for its Flint employees was 10 months before children and families were warned. The EPA failed to act for months after it knew that lack of corrosion controls in the city’s water supply could put residents at risk of lead poisoning. Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality failed to heed EPA’s private warnings for months that corrosion controls were needed to prevent a risk to public health. A state-employed nurse reportedly dismissively told a Flint mother whose son was diagnosed with an elevated blood lead level: “It is just a few IQ points. ... It is not the end of the world.” No child in America is disposable. Tick, tock, tick tock, tick tock.
No blood lead level is safe. That’s what the group of doctors led by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha knew when they raised concerns about elevated lead levels they saw in Flint’s children.
Lead exposure, through water, paint, soil, or other environmental sources is a threat far beyond Flint. The EPA has called it the most serious environmental health hazard for children. An estimated 535,000 U.S. children between one and five years old suffer from lead poisoning. An estimated 24 million housing units have deteriorated lead paint and elevated levels of lead-contaminated house dust. Over 40 percent of the 26 states and District of Columbia that reported childhood blood lead level results to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national database have higher rates of lead poisoning among children than Flint. Nearly half of the states did not participate in this voluntary reporting preventing the true measure of the lead problem in America. Tick, tock, tick tock, tick tock.
Lead causes biological and neurological damage linked to brain damage, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, developmental delays, academic failure, juvenile delinquency, high blood pressure and death. Pregnant women, babies, and young children are especially vulnerable because of developing child brains and nervous systems. Tick, tock, tick tock, tick tock.
For the Flint children exposed to lead including 9,000 preschoolers under 6 local, state and federal help are needed right now. While lead poisoning is irreversible, some steps can decrease its effects. Michigan’s Governor Snyder failed horribly in his response to the crisis, but has now proposed funding for safe drinking water, food and nutrition, physical, social and educational enrichment programs, and water bill relief. Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) approved Governor Snyder’s request for a Medicaid and CHIP waiver from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to raise income eligibility standards to enable 15,000 more pregnant women and children in Flint to receive program benefits. Approximately 30,000 current Medicaid beneficiaries in the area also are now eligible for expanded services under this new waiver agreement. Thanks to a letter from Michigan Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow and Representative Dan Kildee, HHS has also expanded funding to enable Flint’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs to serve every eligible child. These programs will now provide comprehensive early learning, health, and family well-being services to 1,011 Head Start children and 166 Early Head Start children in the city of Flint.
I and so many others are beyond angry that the lead in the water in Flint would have been addressed much more quickly if the majority of the child victims had not been poor and Black. In Flint 56 percent of the population is Black and 60 percent of its children live in poverty. Even though important progress has been made over the years in reducing lead levels in the U.S., Black children remain disproportionately at risk. A 2013 CDC study showed that twice as many Black as White children had elevated blood levels.
Children and families everywhere would benefit immediately from stronger, clearer and consistent national standards for measuring, monitoring, and reducing lead exposure that are enforced. The incalculable child harm from lead poisoning should be reason enough to act now with great urgency and persistence. And the nation’s bottom line would benefit too. Every dollar invested to decrease lead hazards yields an estimated return of $17:1 to $221:1. These cost benefits exceed the return on vaccines long considered one of the most cost-effective public health interventions.
These much needed and overdue actions for children that so many callous public officials failed to take are urgently needed today. Flint’s poor children, sacrificial canaries in the coal mine, must be helped and all children in America must be prevented from suffering their fate. No child in America is disposable. A child has only one life to live and it is today. Tick, tock, tick tock, tick tock.
As a native of Flint, MI, it truly hurts my heart to see so much negative attention on my city. It feels like we take two steps forward just to be knocked 10 steps backward. What pains me even more is that I have family members who can't bathe in the water in their homes. How is it possible that there are people who have billions of dollars to their names and others who have none? Why is it that we wait until a situation has reached its climax before we feel a need to offer support. If a nation is defined by how it treats its children, its less fortunate, its differently-abled, what can be said about our nation? Our country keeps singing the same sad tune. It's time to act out. Talk is getting cheaper by the minute. Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first heard about the water crisis in Flint, I thought to myself, something like this could never happen here in America in 2016. I am disappointed with state leadership and the harmful actions that put children and families in danger. The community must act with community based leadership by organizing for leadership and political change.
ReplyDeleteThe water crisis in Flint is devastating, but unfortunately not surprising. Politicians in the U.S. like to claim that every child matters, but their policies suggest otherwise. Poor children of color are often overlooked and left without a voice. How can it be that we allow an ENTIRE CITY of citizens to face contaminated water, the bare necessity for life? I struggle to remain optimistic when I see such complete disregard and lack of urgency.
ReplyDeleteDevon Webster
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading this article I kept thinking of the cheer Dynamite. I kept reading "tick tock tick tock" and waiting for the BOOM.
The boom came when the Flint water crisis exploded into the media, however, action since then has been slow and unsatisfactory. It is heartbreaking to read about how many signs were ignored by countless people, but what is even more upsetting is the irreversible damage that has been caused.
I appreciate Ms. Edelman for writing this piece because it has allowed me to check my privilege. I thought poisoning from lead paint was a thing of the past, because in my environment it was. It is amazing (and not in a good way) to learn that this is still a problem today. I hope Ms. Edelman's call for more clear guidelines and expectations gets answered because it is ridiculous for this problem to exist in the USA in 2016.
Additionally, from an educator's perspective this problem needs to be addressed simply to reduce the amount of children with special needs in our school system. The amount of students in every category has gone up so finding any way to stop this at the source is absolutely something we should be investigating.
Of all the lows we have reached as a country in regards to human and child care, this story has struck a nerve with me as one of the worst. It is simply unfathomable to me that this situation could ever arise in the first place, and then the fact that it still has not been properly dealt with is sickening. It is simply a disgrace that elected officials would sweep this under the rug for as long as possible to avoid the political fallout, all while the children of Flint ingest dangerously high levels of lead from the orange sludge coming out of their faucets. Unfortunately, we will not know the full effect of this disaster for several years, as the growth and mental development of these children will most likely be stunted by more than "just a few IQ points." Devon brought up a good point about understanding privilege, and I hope the entire country is aware that nothing like this would ever happen to a city or town of better economic stature than Flint. The everyday demonization of the poor through news networks (looking at you Fox), social media, and on the campaign trail seeps into our national consciousness and allows many to look the other way when a disaster strikes an area such as Flint. Mrs. Edelman brought up a great point: at this moment, who is to blame isn't as important as saving the lives of the people of Flint. Hopefully our elected officials can realize that sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteThe situation that is happening in Flint really speaks to a number serious issues within our country, most importantly how it views our children of color. Mrs. Edelman makes such a true point that the lives of our children are rendered disposable by our society as demonstrated in Flint. The fact that these communities have been intentionally denied what is not only a basic human need, but also a human right is despicable. It seems as though the severity of what is occurring is not making much of a dent in the American pathos. I agree that Devon brings of a strong point about understanding one's privilege. It also continues to be our duty to make sure that this issue is not ignored.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about how our society view and values not only children of color, but an entire community of color. I've made it a point to keep my eye on this story and not to let it go unnoticed. There are currently people who have gone missing who were involved in the investigations and makes me wonder what time we're living in. What kills me is that the water companies are still charging them for water they can't use and because the people don't pay their bills, they are going into collections. Its unheard of why the situation in it entirety hasn't been resolved.
DeleteFlint is about 60 miles from my house. It's hard to understand how this is even happening in present day America. It's devastating that my state is receiving so much negative press. The most troubling part is that it has recently come out that the mayor of Flint reached out to Governor Synder in January of 2015 and he didn't see it as an urgent issue until it made national news last fall.
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ReplyDeleteI have been following this issue closely. I think what is even more devastating is the fact that this it not just a Flint Michigan problem but in Pennsylvania there are over 18 cities with higher lead levels than Flint.(http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2016/02/04/report-18-cities-in-pennsylvania-with-higher-lead-exposure-than-flint/). It makes you wonder what other cities out there have these levels or worse and their government are withholding this information.
ReplyDeleteAs many things in this country the Flint water crisis is just another example of not having the right people in place for the job at hand. This also goes back to voting and why the power of the vote is important. It saddens me when members of the team like Ashnee speak of family members who are being affected by this crisis. It really hits home. This also sheds light on other cities in the US with high if not higher lead levels in their water.
ReplyDeleteThis issue is so troubling for me. It is sad that something as simple as water is killing our precious children. What makes it even more troubling for me, is that I know people who have families in Flint that are currently being affected by this issue. It is truly sad. It is truly sad how far this issue has gotten with it still not being resolved. It is sad that children can't even drink water let alone take a bath because of this issue. It is just so sad.
ReplyDeleteWhen I shared an article on this topic with my 4th grade students, I hid the location. I then asked them what country this could be describing. Most of them described 3rd world impoverished or developing countries. They were outraged that it was the country they hold dear to them and we spent the rest of our literacy block writing letters to a senator in Utah who is blocking the funding for a new pipe system for Flint. In addition to my outraged 4th graders writing letters we decided to call to get a quicker response as we have written letter to our own governor (last fall) and have yet to hear back from him and we live 20 minutes from the capital city. My students were so excited to speak to "someone who makes big decisions." I love that they are upset and that they offered suggestions to help aid children their own age and younger. The children are our future and it is an outrage that a whole generation of children in Flint will be affect by longterm lead exposure. It's truly criminal.
ReplyDeleteBeing a resident of Michigan and also having friends and knowing people that are from Flint, there is a very real discovery happening in our state, and that is the eradication of children who are black and in poverty. This article is something that first brought something that I had been following very real to the forefront of why I am involved with this work at the Children’s Defense Fund. It also made me realize that if I want to impact communities and great numbers of people, I have that opportunity right here in my own “backyard”. We always see that there are impoverished children all across the world, specifically in the continent of Africa. Now I have been on this Grey’s Anatomy kick for about the past couple of months and in an episode, one of the doctor’s, Alex Karev, is trying to bring these African children to Seattle to undergo a specific type of surgery that will save their lives but also to ensure his candidacy for a pediatric fellowship with the hospital after his residency is completed. Now much like in the excerpt of Grey’s Anatomy this article shows where children are getting poisoned with lead because the conditions with the water are so poor. My question is why is there now global attention on an issue that has been going on for possibly years behind the scenes? What happened between when it first started happening and the first time it was aired on television did someone actually try to do something? Why is it that when it could possibly benefit someone or show some humanistic expression that certain political figures and celebrities come to the aid of poor, black children?
ReplyDeleteThe exploitation of these black children is wrong and hurtful as Michigan resident because it shows some very inhumane practices and not really understanding the root of the issue. The infrastructure of the political system is very indifferent on the premise that certain politicians wanted to save money so the thought of switching a water supply was perfectly okay but as mentioned in the article,
“The revelation that General Motors stopped using Flint’s water in its manufacturing plant in October 2014 and told the city it was too corrosive for its car parts was a full year before authorities admitted and warned people not to drink, cook with, or bathe in it. Tick, tock, tick tock, tick tock.”
How much time should go by before an issue like this is handled in other impoverished black communities, or Latino communities, or white suburbia. Well between you and I, if an issue like this had arose in a white suburban community, dealing with the infrastructure of corroded pipes and the whole entire town needed to be replaced and updated then it would have been handled very differently. There would have been news crews highlighting the issue, there would have been an interview with the governor but the conversation would not have been what does he and his emergency manager plan to do but the question would have been asked, how long is it going to take to fix it? Yes there have been rallies and bottled water drives for the past few months now, even my church participated in one but what I am more concerned with is the political arena being able to pick and choose what issues are significant and what issues they feel they can allow a few poor black children get sick and poisoned before it even becomes an issue in their eyes. Then said politician getting on the stand to be questioned in front of a court, saying they did everything possible in their power. On the other hand, the persons that are leading the deposition against you state that said politician needs to resign from the position. Tick, Tock.
We live in America. This is not supposed to happen in a first world country. In third world countries is truly sad. But the fact that I was reading an article about schools in urban cities being poisoned with lead is heartbreaking. The fact that our people are going through this makes me question the world we live in. It seems like the government does not care and are just disposing of people like it is ok. I watched a interview with rapper Killer Mike and the fact that I am supposed to be protected by my government. But the fact that we are not let's us know that a revolution is much needed.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason the only shock factor of this article for me is that it took this long to hit mainstream media. I am so upset that in a country where someone can be paid millions of dollars to play basketball is the same country where children can die from contaminated water. The revolution that must take place in the way we as advocates approach advocacy work has to be done in order to bring about radical change. The disparity of wealth in this country has to be addressed in ways that will force people to listen and act. We cannot afford to continue to have crisis like the Flint water crisis.
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