A 2016 paper in the American Journal of Public Health found that more young children in Flint had high blood lead levels after the city switched its water source. In 2018, Elon Musk came to the rescue with a donation of $480,350 for school water filters, though it would be years before students could safely use them, according to a Fortune report on the donation. Most of us probably don’t even think twice about filling up a water bottle at school. You turn on the tap, take a sip, move on. For kids in Flint, Michigan, that small habit stopped feeling safe.
What happened in Flint
The study suggests that the new water was more corrosive and that the old system may not have been properly treated to control corrosion. Most of the gains were in the poorer neighborhoods. Musk’s donation was just one part of Flint’s long road to recovery, and it could not undo the harm done to the children . For young adults reading this around the world, the lesson is simple. Ask how your school, workplace, or city tests its water, and ask to see the results.
The city of Flint switched its source of drinking water to the Flint River in April 2014. It switched back to the Detroit water system in October 2015. Researchers compared blood lead levels in children under age 5 in 2013 and 2015. The percentage with high blood lead levels increased from 2.4 percent to 4.9 percent. Separately, the highest water-lead readings were found in neighborhoods where lead levels in the water itself had risen by 6.6 percent. The 2016 study points to aging infrastructure as a growing contributor to childhood lead exposure through water, suggesting Flint’s risk is not unique.
The World Health Organization says no safe level of lead exposure has been identified. It says children are especially vulnerable and that even small quantities can cause long-term health and developmental problems. Sullivan said that while safe water is important, it is even more important that people believe it is safe.
