Regulatory failure in the state of Flint began in the 19th century.

Not even the persistence of the CDC to conduct a full investigation of the water source was enough to take responsibility, as city officials refused their help and continued to deny residents’ voices.

“Environmental racism is real…so real that even having the facts, having the documentation and having the information has never been enough to provide equal protection for people of color and poor people.”

City officials continued to claim that “the water was safe” after multitudes of residents showed yellow, foul smelling water running from their eroded pipes.

One foreman even marked down on paper that if this water treatment was to be continued, it would be against his direction.

In another attempt to save money, the state decided to use a very old and outdated treatment plan of which workers at the plant stated wasn’t ready.

thousands of residents are still getting their water from lead pipes to this day.

In 2017, the groups reached a settlement agreement which established the removal of the corroded lead pipes, a tap water monitoring program, a faucet filter installation and education program, sufficient bottled water until the end of 2017, and state funding for healthcare programs through 2018

the organizations first filed a lawsuit in 2016 stating that Flint's water system violated the Safe Drinking Water Act by not consistently testing and controlling lead levels.

“respondents who consistently voiced low confidence in the accuracy of public-official information about the water crisis were significantly more likely than their peers to meet criteria for depression (RR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.17-1.83), PTSD (RR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.16-1.78), and comorbid disorder (RR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.12-2.02).”

“Overall, 1 in 5 surveyed Flint residents met criteria over the past year for presumptive major depression, 1 in 4 for presumptive PTSD, and 1 in 10 for comorbid depression and PTSD.”

“Wakes said that while her son was diagnosed with ADHD prior to lead exposure, he now has additional special needs and has developed serious behavioral issues, leading him to get suspended from school more than 50 times.”1

As one would assume, this high increase in lead in the bloodstream can cause behavioral, developmental, biological and intellectual issues.

“In a dose–response relationship for children aged 1 to 5 years, for every 1-ppb increase in water lead, blood lead increases 35%.”

Although lead was restricted in plumbing material in 1986, older buildings and infrastructure is likely to still contain lead-based piping systems, which was the case for Flint.

12 Flint residents died from Legionnaires and confirmed by the NIH that the water switch was one of the sources.

such as service line replacements, water quality monitoring, and water meter upgrades

The first outbreak of the disease was in 20141, with which medical experts didn’t immediately make the connection to the polluted water source. However, shortly after this, many more Flint residents were diagnosed. At the end of 2014, 40 people were diagnosed and 3 residents died.

Legionnaires disease is a very rare type of pneumonia caused by inhaling water droplets with bacteria.

One of the few HIV centers in the state decided to test their water in 2014 after predicting the disproportionate effect on HIV communities, and found that the water was undrinkable.

There was already high stigma surrounding LGBTQ+ communities during this time in a city with one of the highest crime rates in the nation, and many didn’t feel safe to even leave the house.

“skin rashes, hair loss, and itchy skin.”

“Lead crosses the placenta (Amaral et al. 2010; Lin et al. 1998; Rudge et al. 2009; Schell et al. 2003) and is correlated with mental health issues, prenatal growth abnormalities, reduced gestational period, spontaneous abortion, and reduced birth weight.”2 In the case of the Flint Michigan Crisis, fertility rates decreased by 12% and fetal death rates increased by 58%.

“As of 2010, there were 102,434 residents in Flint, 56.6% of whom were African American and 37.4% white. The median household income is $24,679, giving the city a staggering poverty rate of 41.6%.”

This left Flint in a state of financial turmoil, driving away affluent residents and setting the stage for an environmental disaster.

Following a timber boom in the 1830’s, an abundance of paper mills moved into the city, marking the beginning of Flint River’s contamination.12

The area was first colonized in the early 1800s, and quickly suffered from one of the worst cases of deindustrialization.12

The disaster begins In April, 2014, when Flint, Michigan decided to switch over from their typical water source, the Detroit city system, to the Flint River in an attempt to save money.11 The Governor of Flint declared a financial emergency, hoping to save 18 million dollars over eight years.

Researchers at Virginia Tech conducted a study a year later, revealing spiked lead levels, with almost 17% of samples registered above the federal action level.