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BREAKING: Michigan Governor Finally Issues State of Emergency in Flint, MI -
But It's Too Little Too Late
Sign to get the children with lead poisoning the help they deserve!
Dear Alison,
Flint, Michigan's drinking water has been laced with lead for over a year. Flint children now have permanent brain damage from lead poisoning and there is still no end in sight.1
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality were aware of the high lead levels in Flint's drinking water for months and yet they kept telling residents that the water was safe to drink.2 This is criminal.
Ask the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to Declare a public health emergency to give Flint residents the resources they need.
It's hard to believe that in 2016, residents of a town in the United States are being poisoned by their drinking water. So how did this happen?
In 2014, Flint's un-elected emergency manager switched the city from safe drinking water from Lake Huron provided through the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the polluted Flint River — all in an effort to cut costs. But the city failed to put in place the proper corrosion controls when it made the switch. The Flint River runs through a very industrial part of Michigan, home to a General Motors facility and DuPont chemical factories. The chemicals used to make the water "safe" made the water corrosive and it began eating away at the city's lead pipes. Flint's water is so corrosive that General Motors won't even use it to make car parts.3
Almost immediately after the switch, residents noticed changes in the smell, color and taste of the water coming out of their taps; tests showed high levels of bacteria that forced the city to issue boil advisories. Flint resident Melissa Mays said:
"Since Flint started providing us with water from the Flint River, my water has turned bluish-green from all the copper in the water, the levels of lead have quadrupled and we have been notified about high levels of toxic chemicals.
Members of my community have been reporting cases of lead poisoning, and many neighbors have reported that their hair is falling out because of our toxic water. Due to the high levels of copper in my water, I am suffering from osteoarthritis and bone spurs at the age of 36."
Access to safe drinking water is a human right.
Samples show off the chart lead levels in Flint's drinking water.4 Lead poisoning is incredibly serious. Once lead enters your body, there is no way to get it out. It is especially harmful to the developing brains of children, causing permanent brain damage.
I have been working with the residents of Flint to ensure that their water is safe and affordable and to hold those that are responsible for this man-made public health emergency accountable. More than 28,000 Food & Water Watch supporters helped bring national attention to this issue by signing a petition calling on city and state officials to switch the city's water back to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department's drinking water system.
On October 16, 2015, Flint's drinking water source was finally switched back to Detroit's drinking water. The problem: Flint's pipes are permanently damaged and continue to leach lead into Flint's drinking water.
This week, the U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into how Michigan has handled the crisis in Flint.5 Then, Governor Rick Snyder finally issued a state of emergency to begin to give Flint residents the help they deserve, but this is too little too late for many of Flint's children. State relief may only provide the city with a small portion of the potentially $1.5 billion it will need to fix its broken water system and give Flint children the healthcare they need. The federal government must step in to help provide support for Flint residents.
Today I'm asking you to stand with the residents of Flint once again. Ask the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to declare a public health emergency to get the city federal aid.
Thank you for all you've done to get justice for the people of Flint, Michigan,
Lynna Kaucheck
Senior Organizer
Food & Water Watch
act(at)fwwatch(dot)org
1. Brain Damage: Children Suffer the Consequences of Anti-Regulation in Michigan, Truthout, January 7, 2016.
2. Flint water concerns 'blown off' by state: Snyder staffer e-mail, The Rachel Maddow Show, January 6, 2016.
3. General Motors shutting off Flint River water at engine plant over corrosion worries, MichiganLive, October 13, 2014.
4. Lead testing results for water sampled by residents, Flint Water Study Updates.
5. Justice Department Investigating Toxic Tap Water In Flint, Huffington Post, January 6, 2016. 
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