- According to the World Health Organization, “lead affects children’s brain development resulting in reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioral changes such as shortening of attention span and increased antisocial behavior, and reduced educational attainment. Lead exposure also causes anemia, hypertension, renal impairment, immunotoxicity and toxicity to the reproductive organs. The neurological and behavioral effects of lead are believed to be irreversible.”
The Hurley Medical Center, in Flint, released a study in September that confirmed what many Flint parents had feared for over a year: The proportion of infants and children with above-average levels of lead in their blood has nearly doubled since the city switched from the Detroit water system to using the Flint River as its water source, in 2014.
As mentioned in the article, this happened in the open. Residents were very vocal about water problems immediately after the switch from Detroit water. People complained of discoloration and taste. These people were repeatedly lied to. Wealthy people are simply not treated this way in the US. It is not difficult to test for water quality. This was a crime, and the people that knowingly lied should pay for it.