A Case Study of Environmental Injustice: The Failure in Flint

Abstract

The failure by the city of Flint, Michigan to properly treat its municipal water system after a change in the source of water, has resulted in elevated lead levels in the city’s water and an increase in city children’s blood lead levels. Lead exposure in young children can lead to decrements in intelligence, development, behavior, attention and other neurological functions. This lack of ability to provide safe drinking water represents a failure to protect the public’s health at various governmental levels. This article describes how the tragedy happened, how low-income and minority populations are at particularly high risk for lead exposure and environmental injustice, and ways that we can move forward to prevent childhood lead exposure and lead poisoning, as well as prevent future Flint-like exposure events from occurring. Control of the manufacture and use of toxic chemicals to prevent adverse exposure to these substances is also discussed. Environmental injustice occurred throughout the Flint water contamination incident and there are lessons we can all learn from this debacle to move forward in promoting environmental justice.

Environmental Justice Research: Contemporary Issues and Emerging Topics

“…Several articles in this Special Issue break new ground by extending the EJ research framework to consider emerging issues such as energy [1,2], food [3], drinking water [4,5], flooding [6,7], sustainability initiatives [8,9], and gender dynamics [10], including EJ concerns in Canada [5,11], the UK [12], and Eastern Europe [13]. Finley-Brook and Holloman [1] explore the EJ implications of energy production in the U.S. Their study demonstrates how the transition from high carbon energy sources such as coal and oil contribute to environmental injustices, and proposes priorities for a new energy justice research agenda that combines advocacy, activism, and academics.…”

“…The study highlights the prevalence of drinking water advisories as a growing problem that needs to be addressed. Campbell et al [5] focus on the governmental failures in treating the municipal water system that led to the poisoning of hundreds of children and adults in Flint, Michigan, USA, and discuss how such tragic events can be prevented in the future. Maldonado et al [6] examine if Hispanic immigrants are disproportionately exposed to flood hazards compared to other racial/ethnic groups in the Houston and Miami metropolitan areas, USA, based on household-level survey data.…”

“…Several articles in this Special Issue advance environmental health justice scholarship by documenting linkages between unequal environmental exposure and adverse health impacts associated with unsafe infrastructure and homes [5,14], substance use and addiction [15], and children’s obesity and academic performance [16]. Campbell et al [5] provide a detailed assessment of the recent drinking water crisis and lead poisoning in Flint, USA. In addition to describing how this tragedy happened and why socially disadvantaged populations are at particularly high risk for lead exposure, Campbell et al discuss how childhood lead exposure and Flint-like events can be prevented from occurring in the future.…”

Politically Unhealthy: Flint’s Fight Against Poverty, Environmental Racism, and Dirty Water

“…The only pilot test occurred in 2002, a treatability study, meaning that the government was working with outdated information about the water supply (Lockwood, Andrews, & Newman Inc., 2015) When you consider the fact that the American Water Works Association clearly recommends that "if a municipality is considering changing how its source water is treated, the potential effects on the corrosivity of the treated water and the need for corrosion control should be evaluated, " and that no sufficient testing was ordered, the municipality did not look out for its residents (Masten et al, 2016;Muylwyk et al, 2014). This circulation of inaccurate information continued when the MDEQ incorrectly identified the Flint water supply as being safe for human use, which was then understood as accurate by other state agencies (Campbell, Greenberg, Mankikar, & Ross, 2016;Flint Water Advisory Task Force, 2016).…”

Intersectionality, special populations, needs and suggestions: the Flint Women’s study

“…In recent years, Flint has suffered significant depopulation and subsequent decreases in revenue and increases in abandoned houses and blight [4,5]. After the Water Crisis that disproportionately affected racial and ethnic minorities [6], Flint has been mentioned as a classic case of environmental injustice [7][8][9]. However, Flint also represents a strong and thriving community that is flourishing in the face of various challenges.…”