Poisoned Water Video Response
In the video Poisoned Water published by NOVA, viewers watch as Flint runs into financial issues and makes a large switch that affects the lives of all citizens and causes major health concerns. By switching from Lake Huron to the Flint River, they were now using a different water source and filtration system. Due to some overlooks within the filtration system and visibly discolored, "dirty" water citizens began to investigate whether the water was safe or not, making some shocking discoveries. Water is essential for everyday life and is crucial for people to have access too, but when that water is clearly contaminated and unsafe, many problems arise.
When Flint switched water supplies they went from lake water to river water and switched filtration plants, causing many challenges that only resulted in problems and unsafe drinking water. River water is more challenging to treat than lake water due to; chemical manufacturers along the river, rainwater and snowmelt, road salt, and agricultural runoff. (Poisoned Water, 2017) After the switch was made, citizens began to complain of various symptoms and the city issued a health warning advising to boil the water to kill off any bacteria that may be present. The amount of
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Elin Betanzo and Mona Hanna-Attisha started on a medical research investigation, trying to determine whether the water had effects on the brain and the ways in which children developed. The results were shocking, the water was playing a large role in brain development and synapses not working properly. Another outbreak that was detrimental to the city was Legionnaire's disease, which infected 90 and 12 died from. (Poisoned Water, 2017) When the water was becoming that large of a problem to the citizens, that’s when the city knew they had to make a switch and admit their problems they were
The Flint water crisis has been a well known life-threatening issue for nearly three years, and yet has still not been solved. The problem began in April, 2014, when the city of Flint, Michigan switched their water supply to the Flint River in order to save money. Almost immediately after the switch of water source, residents complained about the quality of water, while city and state officials denied the possibility of an issue for months. As time went by, the supply pipes had corroded and lead began making its way into the water supply, potentially endangering the Flint population, as high blood lead levels are especially harmful to children and pregnant women, and can cause “learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and mental retardation,”
By exchanging the city's water supply from the abundant Lake Huron and Detroit River to the very dirtied Flint River, authorities got under way a progression of cataclysmic wellbeing dangers to which a significant part of the general population was to a great extent uninformed. At the point when inhabitants complained about the nature of the grimy
This pollutes the groundwater and puts the health of everyone that uses the groundwater into risk, as consuming too much
This method proves to harmful to those who reside within the site of operation as their water supply is contaminated. This results in those families not having clean drinking water, which leads to health related issues and economic struggles. These issues are widespread across the country and there are limited options in order to find a solution. The most effective and safe option would be to halt all operations of
The residents of Flint, Michigan knew that something was wrong when their water began to look, smell, and taste strange (Shafer 23). Their city manager had recently ordered that their water source would be switch from Lake Huron to the Flint River in order to save money (Puchalski). In 2015, it would be discovered that the water contained dangerous levels of lead (Leber). The Flint residents had been drinking, cleaning with, and cooking with toxic water. They were advised to rely on bottled water until the issue was resolved.
The Flint Water Crisis is often described as one of the greatest environmental injustices of all time. The crisis began on March 2013 when the city city switched its water source to Flint River. However, due to inadequate water treatment, more than 100,000 residents were exposed to dangerously high levels of lead in the drinking water and a federal state of emergency was declared. The crisis has sparked debate on where to place the blame. A number of civilians, intellectuals, and politicians have agreed that the Flint Water Crisis is a result of the failure of the government on all levels.
Water is the greatest resource upon the Earth, but what happens when it runs out? Even worse, what happens when humans bottle the water, of which all life relies on, and sells it to us with false claims? Well, we've already been on the receiving end of this trick for years, almost unknowingly. The documentary Tapped, directed by Stephanie Soechtig and Jason Lindsey, gives a look into the bottled water industry and the effects it has on society. The film taps into human emotions, brings about logical reasoning and statistics, and uses sources with valid credibility to address a hidden issue.
The impact of high levels of lead in public water sources is an ongoing crisis by the works of the environmental organizations who oversee specific laws and regulations for public water supply. I have put myself in the shoes of those families affected by the Flint crisis, and only feel heartbreak. The severe consequence of lead poising is something no human being should have to experience. Analyzing environmental racism in Flint opened my eyes to the cruel world we live in, where the health of the general population no longer matters when you are not an upper/middle class white citizen. I truly hope that by bringing this form of racism into light, people may see what occurs in predominantly black neighborhoods, like Flint.
All of this pollution is making it hard to keep people safe considering the water is unsafe to drink or even swim in. Factories using the water do not know that the water is
In page. 27 “The water was filthy” Nya’s family drinks dirty, contaminating water because of the harsh conditions.
Drinking water sources have been contaminated with explosive methane, as well as other dangerous substances, such as benzene and arsenic, that can cause cancer and other serious illnesses. Toxic chemicals, as well as erosion and runoff from drilling operations, have fouled
In the case of Flint, Michigan, citizens were subjected to contaminated drinking water due to the improper treatment of water by local officials.25 They were attempting to treat the water source in order to decrease the levels of coliform bacteria, and neglected to add anti-corrosive substances to the water. This caused the erosion of lead pipes and release of the toxin into the the drinking supply.26 While it is important to address the human related health issues related to mining practices, it is also important to understand the human driven force behind these operations in the first place. The Industrial Revolution and the years following it are recognized as a significant contributor to the human impacts on the environment.
Behind the emotion, however, two critical questions arise: does the existing evidence justify such a high-level commitment of resources to environmental injustice claims; and what reasonable steps should society take to ensure that environmental policies are fairly enacted and implemented? (Boerner, 1995). (This paragraph was awesome!) To see that pollution matters on a bigger note, Flint, Michigan is not the only place on the earth that has water issues. Places all over the world, especially in developing countries are suffering from contaminated water.