Final Paper

4

Fling Water Crisis-Paper Outline

Charmaine J. Jackson

October 22nd, 2020

Applied Biostatistics-PUH 5302

Professor Dr. Chiyaka

Fling water crisis

The city of Fling, as per Pieper et al. (2017), Michigan, had earlier on switched to Flint River for temporal drinking water sources with no steps undertaken to control the causes of corrosion in April 2014. However, ten months later, the samples of water collected from the Flint River water consumer revealed some progressively increasing lead levels in the water. They were 104, 397, and 707 mg/L, respectively. The results coincided with the rising water discoloration. As a result, intensive and comprehensive follow-up by the authorities to monitor the events in the homes leading to the rise in the lead in water. Investigated was the rate of flow and lead released in the process. The samples of water contained lead at levels of 15mg/L and above, which exceed the recommended levels. As such, the water was hazardous to the health of the people. Following the forensic evaluation, there was the digging out of service line pipes that were compared to water contamination of the analysis of trace elements. There was the revelation that the high levels of lead released to water were from the destabilizing lead-bearing corrosions and rust layers that had accumulated over the years. The analysis of blood lead concentration in children indicated high levels of lead in the blood.

The article Krings, Kornberg, & Lane (2019) revolves around how the residents of Flit contribute to the decisions by the authorities to source water from River Flint. The authorities' decision was to save millions from the expenditures it used to post with a different supplier. There is an examination of the residents' impact and limitations in the period of 18 months from April 2014 to October 2015 when the city obtained its water from River Flint. It was found that resident complaints could not convince the authorities to act accordingly.

The article Butler, Scammell, & Benson (2016) focuses on various regulation failures related to the federal drinking water regulations, amongst other relevant and applicable laws. The events that happened in Michigan due to the use of corroded water transmission channels, the inadequate response to regulators, and the interpretation of water Acts could be interpreted wrongly, lading to lead poisoning of water. The objective of the paper was to discuss the regulatory failures, obtained via quantitative research, in 2014-2015 in the context of reported water lead poisoning in Flint. The results indicated that most of the affected residents are presently living in some economically depressed localities.

The article Fasenfest (2019) focuses on the fiscal crisis that is faced by some municipalities, which is the result of a wide range of structural as well as political factors that leave the communities not able to meet the obligations. To offset the crisis, the state of Michigan resorted to a program known as Emergency Managers with the powers to rule elected leaders, omit existing contracts and arrangements, and also sell some public properties. They were given powers to do as they wished so long as they solved the problems. However, the agency ruled to the detriment of locals while protecting bondholders. As in the case of Flint, the actions did little to affect cities’ long-term prospects. They inflicted harm to residents and lead to high levels of water contamination via lead.

Finally, the article Katner et al. (2016) focuses on the failure of the regulatory agencies in protecting the locals of Flint. In the end, the residents were exposed to dangerous lead, with the ability to cause cancers. The move traced the attention of people regarding the responsibilities and efficiency of the regulator to delegate its duties. In the end, the regulator is held liable for the lead infections amidst the people, hence getting incriminated in the long run. Public trust in them reduced.

References

Butler, L. J., Scammell, M. K., & Benson, E. B. (2016). The Flint, Michigan, water crisis: a case study in regulatory failure and environmental injustice. Environmental Justice, 9(4), 93-97.

Fasenfest, D. (2019). A neoliberal response to an urban crisis: Emergency management in Flint, MI. Critical Sociology, 45(1), 33-47.

Katner, A., Pieper, K. J., Lambrinidou, Y., Brown, K., Hu, C. Y., Mielke, H. W., & Edwards, M. A. (2016). Weaknesses in federal drinking water regulations and public health policies that impede lead poisoning prevention and environmental justice. Environmental Justice, 9(4), 109-117.

Krings, A., Kornberg, D., & Lane, E. (2019). Organizing under austerity: how residents’ concerns became the Flint water crisis. Critical Sociology, 45(4-5), 583-597.

Pieper, K. J., Tang, M., & Edwards, M. A. (2017). Flint water crisis caused by interrupted corrosion control: investigating “ground zero” home. Environmental Science & Technology, 51(4), 2007-2014.