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Lead in Flint Water
Introduction
Lead is a heavy metal that can be found in a variety of settings, from old paint to drinking water. Although it is no longer used in products like paint and gasoline, lead exposure is still a major public health concern, as it can lead to serious health problems, including cancer. Studies have shown that lead exposure can increase the risk of several types of cancer, including brain cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. In addition, lead exposure has been linked to an increased risk of thyroid cancer and leukemia. Exposure to lead can also cause other health problems, such as high blood pressure and kidney damage. Consequently, it is important to take steps to avoid exposure to lead, especially if you are pregnant or have young children. This paper will discuss the carcinogen lead with respect to the Flint water crisis. Flint, Michigan made national headlines in 2015 when it was discovered that the citys water supply was contaminated with lead (Denchak, 2018). While the toxicological effects of lead exposure are well-known, the Flint water crisis highlights the potential for even low levels of lead to cause serious health problems.
The Flint Water Crisis
The Flint water crisis is a public health disaster that began in 2014, when the City of Flint changed its water source from Lake Huron to the more polluted Flint River. This change exposed residents to high levels of lead, a carcinogen. Although lead exposure can occur through a variety of channels, the main source of lead exposure in Flint was drinking water contaminated with lead leaching from old pipes. Lead is a highly toxic metal that can cause serious health problems, including developmental delays, learning difficulties, andbehavioral problems (Lead Exposure Limits, 2018).
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set maximum allowable levels of lead in drinking water at 15 ppb (parts per billion) (Lead Exposure Limits,...…in order to confirm its validity. Regardless of which model is used, it is important to remember that cancer risks are always present, and every effort should be made to minimize one's exposure to ionizing radiation.
Conclusion
The Flint water crisis began in 2014 when the city switched its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure. However, the Flint River water was highly corrosive and it caused lead to leach from the pipes into the drinking water. As a result, many residents were exposed to high levels of lead, which can cause serious health problems. The crisis gained national attention in 2015, and the city has since switched back to using water from Lake Huron. However, the damage to the pipes has already been done, and it will take many years to repair the damage and get the lead out of the water supply. In the meantime, residents are being advised to use filtered…
References
Denchak, M. (2018). Flint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know. Retrieved from http://www.nrdc.org
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). (1998, March 3) Lead and LeadCom-pounds - Summaries & Evaluations. Retrieved September 27, 2020, from http://www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/suppl7/leadandleadcompounds.html
Lead Exposure Limits. (2018, June 18). Retrieved September 28, 2020, from https://www.cdc.-gov/niosh/topics/lead/limits.html
Pieper, K. J., Martin, R., Tang, M., Walters, L., Parks, J., Roy, S., Christina, D. Edwards,M. A. (2018). Evaluating Water Lead Levels During the Flint Water Crisis. Environmental Science & Technology, 52(15), 8124-8132. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.8b00791, from https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.8b00791Roberts, S.M., James, R.C., & Williams, P. L. (Eds.). (2015). Principles of toxicology:Environmental and industrial applications (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
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