Why the EPA is Partly to Blame for the Flint Water Crisis

Amid the ongoing fallout from the protracted water crisis in Flint, Mich., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency order Jan. 21 announcing it was taking over lead sampling in the city and that the EPA’s top Midwestern official would resign effective February 1. While much of the criticism over how poisonous levels of lead leached into Flint’s water system has been directed at state and local officials, the federal agency charged with protecting citizens’ health also played a critical role in the disastrous chain of events. In June 2015, Miguel del Toral, a regulations manager in the EPA’s ground water and drinking water branch, sent a memo to his agency superiors titled: High Lead Levels in Flint, Michigan – Interim Report. In it, del Toral stated that there were elevated levels of lead in several Flint homes after the city began using the Flint River as its municipal water source. In one home, the lead levels amounted to 13,200 parts per billion. The level that triggers federal action is 15. Del Toral also wrote that Flint lacked a plan to adequately prevent corrosion in the lead pipes that delivered water to the city of almost 100,000 people. Read more: The Poisoning of an American City By then, local residents had been complaining of rashes, hair loss and other ailments, and General Motors had stopped using Flint water at its local plant because it was corroding engine parts. Still, city and state officials continued to t...
Source: TIME: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized cities Environment EPA Flint Flint River Flint Water Crisis Michigan Rick Snyder Susan Hedman Source Type: news