Written by Mackenzie Chen

Flint, Michigan made headlines in 2014 for a mass poisoning of its citizens, with lead as the culprit. Tens of thousands of residents were exposed to or consumed dangerously high levels of lead, leading to rampant disease and numerous deaths. Unfortunately, due to negligence in carefully monitoring the health of Flint’s citizens and the quality of their water, this crisis lasted far longer than it should have. The tragedy in Flint is a horrifying example of how the most innocent and powerless civilians often bear the brunt of a debilitating health crisis.

The root cause of the crisis in Flint lies in its infrastructure. Following the closures of multiple automobile manufacturing plants in the 1980s and 1990s, the city plunged into economic decline. This predicament was so severe that Michigan Governor John Engler declared a state of financial emergency in 2002. To help address this crisis, Engler appointed a group of emergency managers and divided his responsibilities amongst them. These managers, who answered to the state treasury department, unanimously decided to switch the city’s water supply from the Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD) to the Flint River. As a result, the city’s water would then come primarily from the Flint River.

This change was never announced to Flint citizens, and many expressed concerns about the water’s quality. However, their concerns were ignored. This marked the start of a health crisis that would overwhelm the residents of Flint for many years. 

First, extremely high levels of bacteria were reported in the water. Flint did nothing but remind people to boil their water. Second, there was a spike in Legionnaires’ disease, which prompted public health officials to suspect a correlation between the outbreak and water contamination. Still, Flint ignored these concerns and even went so far as to prevent an investigation. Finally, dangerous levels of lead were reported in two water fountains on the University of Michigan’s Flint campus. The Detroit Water and Sewage Department also offered to provide water, but Flint refused, for fear of the rising costs. 

Throughout this time, Flint’s residents were kept in the dark about the unfolding crisis. For a year, they noticed discoloration in their water and rashes on their faces. They had no idea that the lead levels in their water were spiking exponentially and that the water also contained carcinogenic disinfection byproducts. It was not until nine months later that they finally received a notice informing them that the water they were drinking was unsafe.  

“When we finally received our first Safe Drinking Water Act violation notification in January of 2015, we’d had enough,” said Melissa Mays, Flint resident and founder of the organization Water You Fighting For. “We found out that our water had been dangerous for nine months and they didn’t tell us.”

The tipping point occurred in March 2015, when it was discovered that the lead concentration in the drinking water of a single Flint home was 25 times higher than the level determined to be safe by the Environmental Protection Agency. The response to this finding was almost immediate. Flint’s city hall was able to vote to return to the DWSD as the sole water source, but their vote was rejected by the emergency manager for being “incomprehensible.”

These issues presented a serious threat to the well-being of Flint’s residents. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe pneumonia caused by inhaling mist contaminated with Legionella bacteria. Certain individuals, such as those over 50, smokers, and those with weakened immune systems, are more vulnerable. One in ten people with Legionnaires’ disease will die from complications. Lead poisoning results from long-term exposure to toxic levels of lead found in sources such as paint, soil near roadways and industrial sites, imported toys, or contaminated water, like in Flint. It affects adults and children differently, causing developmental delays, neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and reproductive issues. The presence of these contaminants showed the true extent of the crisis and how the city’s poor water quality could have potentially life-altering consequences for its residents. 

Many experts also spoke out in support of improving water quality. EPA regional manager Miguel Del Toral expressed concern over the lack of corrosion treatment on Flint’s pipes, and Virginia Tech professor Marc Edwards claimed that this lack of treatment was causing lead to enter the drinking water from the aging pipes.

By the time all of this information was uncovered, public health officials declared a state of emergency in the city, advising against drinking the water. Eventually, the then-Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced a switch back to the DWSD, but by then, the damage was irreparable. The water had become far too contaminated, and the citizens of Flint were more vulnerable than ever. 

Flint became the landscape for numerous legal battles and lawsuits, as politicians tossed around the blame for the water crisis. In 2016, after years of indictments and convictions, Flint officials declared the city’s drinking water finally safe for consumption. However, the cost to reach this moment was astronomical. 

The crisis in Flint serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of government negligence. To put it into perspective, every reported incident of a disease outbreak or the detection of lead or bacteria in the water was dismissed by city officials. Concerns raised by citizens about the switch from the DWSD to the Flint River were ignored. When high levels of bacteria were reported in the water, the Flint government simply told residents to boil their water. When public health officials suspected a correlation between the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease and water contamination, their request to investigate was blocked by the city. Finally, even when the DWSD offered to supply safe drinking water, Flint’s officials refused, prioritizing costs over the health of their citizens.

Flint will forever remain a stain on history for how its government mishandled this public health crisis. From the very beginning, Flint’s city officials demonstrated a disregard and lack of respect for their citizens by failing to inform them of the switch to a different drinking water source. This ignorance only accumulated until thousands of lives were lost. 

To this day, almost a decade later, Flint is still fighting the repercussions of the water crisis. The interior plumbing in many homes is still crumbling, and the cost of clean water is rising. The people of Flint continue to deal with discolored and foul-smelling water, struggle with outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease, and mourn loved ones lost to disease. However, they still continue to fight for their right to access clean water. 

Let Flint stand as a grim reminder of what can happen when citizens are neglected. Let us never forget what happens when a government focuses more on money and reputation than the people it swore to protect. 

Edited by Aisha Hassan