I think while everyone decides what should happen next in Flint, it's important to remember that the water supply
was changed back to the Detroit supply lines the beginning of October 2015. The current water flowing in Detroit is the same "cleanliness" level as it was before the switch to the Flint River source-- but the current worry is that the more acidic water that flowed for 15 months or so "softened" or dissolved more of the inside of the current lead pipes. It isn't known yet what the ongoing effect at the taps are, and residents are being urged to submit samples every few weeks. (Authorities want 500 samples per month minimum to evaluate what is currently going on.)
The federal emergency grant is only 5 million, and will only cover roughly 3 months of emergency water, testing, and filters for residents. The request for a major disaster declaration was denied, because the current situation is not a natural disaster.
The REAL "ongoing" situation, as I see it, is 3 fold-- the issues related to the cover up, the current deteriorating pipes made of lead that the city/ state IS responsible for (not the lead pipes and solder within the older residences, which are the responsibility of the landlords), and the effect of the lead on the youngest children who were exposed for 15 months.
It is the last of those three that is the most worrisome from a public health perspective, as the other two can be solved with enough collective resolve and money.
Adults will not suffer many long term effects from short term lead exposure, but the kids who have high levels that aren't treated will have myriad social and educational issues for decades from the permanent damage of the neurotoxin (and the resultant effects on society, and the inevitable costs to compensate and manage those affected.)
There are some very robust (IMO)
longitudinal studies that have positively correlated violent criminality with increased lead levels during early childhood, which I know is controversial. (And no, I'm not "blaming the victims here-- just pointing out some of the social concerns beyond ADHD and low educational and job achievement.) Those longitudinal studies looked at the issues in thousands of children in several countries (China had one of the biggest longitudinal studies) after leaded gasoline was removed. (Exposure to, and breathing aerosolized lead.) When the gas was changed, the levels of lead plummeted, and violent crime decreased proportionately as the
unaffected next generation of kids moved into their teens and twenties. Just a large amount of social problems result from lead poisoning of young kids-- piling onto the existing problems of poverty and social circumstances. But it's a delayed impact, and not easily envisioned while the kids are still very young. And kids with high lead levels are completely asymptomatic-- they have no outward evidence of the effects of a high blood level of lead, so it's a hidden condition that manifests as the child grows up, in their behavior and academic achievement. Very, very sad and frustrating.
I just don't understand why no one wants to foot the money to replace the crumbling lead pipes-- even if politicians are heartless about the damage to children's brains and the impact on their futures, spend the money to eliminate THAT as part of the problem. It's a no-brainer, IMO. I guess crumbling pipes aren't sexy enough to "sell" to the public. City water should be clean and safe in every city in America, from the point in which it is supplied to homes and businesses. IMO.
At the beginning of my career (30 years ago) when I worked pediatrics in the Cleveland area, we used to have lots of low income kids in for chelation, which used to be a very unpleasant therapy several days to a week in length. Giving those kids BAL IM shots every few hours was one of the most heart wrenching things I ever had to do as a new RN-- the stuff was thick and oily, and incredibly painful for those little ones to get in their backside muscles-- and they had IV med infusions on top of that. Miserable for them. I don't know if they still use the same drugs, or do that therapy the same way now. I hope it's easier for the kids now.
Not all kids will be recommended for chelation-- I think their levels have to be in the 40's before they do that course of therapy. FDA currently says greater than 10 is a worrisome level, and some advocate lowering it to 5.
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/acclpp/lead_levels_in_children_fact_sheet.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/acclpp/blood_lead_levels.htm
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/P...ures/InVitroDiagnostics/LabTest/ucm126101.htm
Every kid in Flint needs to be tested, IMO, and very soon.
