LEAD POISONED WATER

CRISIS IN FLINT, MICHIGAN2014

DEFINING THE PROBLEM?

A CRISIS ACCORDING TO DICTIONARY.COM IS, A CONDITION OF INSTABILITY
OR DANGER, AS IN SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, OR INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS, LEADING TO A DECISIVE CHANGE.
NEARLY TWO YEARS AGO, THE STATE DECIDED TO SAVE MONEY BY
SWITCHING FLINT'S WATER SUPPLY FROM LAKE HURON.
HOW DID THE RESIDENTS REACT?
HOW DID IT AFFECT THEM?

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF LEAD

LEAD IS A TOXIC HEAVY METAL WHICH CAN BE TRANSPORTED IN WATER OR
EVEN BY AIR.
IT MAY CAUSES ANEMIA, AND MENTAL RETARDATION
LEAD IS FIXED BY PLANTS AND ANIMALS AND RE-CONTAMINATE THE FOOD
CHAIN. (RODRIGUE, 2016).

THE RISK AT HAND

FROM THIS SITUATION IT IS CLEAR
THAT THE MICHIGAN POPULATION WAS
AT RISK.
LEGAL PROTOCOLS WHERE NOT
FOLLOWED IN DOING THE RISK
ASSESSMENT
IT TOOK YEARS FOR ANY THROUGH
RISK MANAGEMENT TO BE PUT IN
PLACE
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS EVENTUALLY
ACCEPTED THEIR ERRORS THROUGH
RISK COMMUNICATION

A VIDEO ASSESSING THE FLINT CRISIS!

THE VULNERABLE GROUPS IMPACTED

WHILE THE ENTIRE STATE IS AT RISK; THERE ARE SOME IN THIS POPULOUS
WHO ARE LIABLE TO SUFFER MORE. GROUPS SUCH AS: PREGNANT WOMEN,
CHILDREN, THE AGED.
LEAD IS A POTENT NEUROTOXIN, AND CHILDHOOD LEAD POISONING HAS AN
IMPACT ON MANY DEVELOPMENTAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES (HANNAATTISHA & LACHANCE ET AL, 2016).
PREGNANCY ITSELF IS AN IMPORTANT AND UNIQUE PERIOD OF A WOMANS
LIFE DURING WHICH THERE IS HIGH SENSITIVITY TO TOXIC SUBSTANCES
(OTEBHI & OSADOLOR, 2016).

SOME STATISTICS
THIS TABLE SHOWS SOME
STATICS OF THE IMPACT OF
LEAD ON THE BLOOD LEVEL
IN CHILDREN BEFORE,
DURING AND AFTER THE
LEAD CRISIS IN FLINT,
MICHIGAN.

LEAD CRISIS IN KINGSTON, JAMAICA

WHILE THE PRESENTATION WAS GEARED TOWARDS THE LEAD CRISIS IN MICHIGAN.
WHAT IF SUCH A CRISIS OCCURS IN JAMAICA WHO SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE?
THE WATER SYSTEMS IN JAMAICA ARE PRIMARILY OWNED BY THE NATIONAL
WATER COMMISSION, HENCE, TRACKING THE SOURCE SHOULD NOT BE A
CHALLENGE.
IN THE LATE 1980S THERE WAS LEAD POISONING LINKED TO THE SOIL IN THE
KINTYRE AREA.
IGNORANCE CAUSED THIS; NATURALLY THE CHILDREN FELT IT THE MOST.

SHOULD THERE BE A LEAD WATER CRISIS IN JAMAICA?

AGENCIES THAT RESPONDED TO THE PAST LEAD ISSUE: BLUE CROSS (NOW
SIGICOR), ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION, NATIONAL
ENVIRONMENTAL AND PLANNING AGENCY, THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
COUNCIL OF JAMAICA AND THE NATIONAL WATER COMMISSION.
SHOULD SUCH AN EVENT OCCUR THESE ENTITIES HAVE THE EXPERTISE IN
THE AREA.

REFERENCE
HANNA-ATTISHA, M., LACHANCE, J., CASEY SADLER, R., & CHAMPNEY SCHNEPP, A. (2016).
ELEVATED BLOOD LEAD LEVELS IN CHILDREN ASSOCIATED WITH THE FLINT DRINKING WATER CRISIS: A
SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF RISK AND PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSE. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC
HEALTH, 106(2), 283-290.
OTEBHI, G. E., & OSADOLOR, H. B. (2016). SELECT TOXIC METALS STATUS OF PREGNANT WOMEN
WITH HISTORY OF PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS IN BENIN CITY, SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA. JOURNAL
OF APPLIED SCIENCES & ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, 20(1), 5-10. DOI:10.4314/JASEM.V20I1.1
RODRIGUE, J. (2016). POLLUTANTS EMITTED BY TRANSPORT SYSTEMS (AIR, WATER AND NOISE).
DEPT. OF GLOBAL STUDIES & GEOGRAPHY, HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK, USA. RETRIEVED FROM:
HTTPS://PEOPLE.HOFSTRA.EDU/GEOTRANS/ENG/CH8EN/APPL8EN/CH8A2EN.HTML