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| Flint residents wait in line for bottled water (Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) |
By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)
An expert who first helped expose the problem in the first place after battling the State of Michigan says Flint may be nearing the end of the water crisis that has plagued the city.
Residents are still advised to drink bottled water, pipes still need significant work, and the fallout continues, but this is welcome news for Flint families and a positive step forward. It's not enough, but we're getting there and should celebrate success while renewing our commitment to the battered community.
According to the Detroit News:
“Findings released Thursday indicate Flint, long troubled by water contamination problems, may be nearing “the beginning of the end of the public health disaster,” according to a key national expert leading monitoring efforts.
According to researchers from Virginia Tech, in the span of 12 months, the number of Flint homes at which water sampling shows non-detectable levels of lead has expanded from 9 percent to 45 percent in July. At the same time, testing showed a continued drop in the overall average of lead found in Flint homes — from 28.7 parts per billion in August 2015 to 13.9 parts per billion last month.
The federal action level for lead in drinking water is 15 parts per billion.
“Flint water now looks like it’s entering a range that is considered normal for U.S. cities,” said Marc Edwards, the Virginia Tech researcher whose team identified the lead contamination in Flint’s water last year. While the findings showed continued improvement, Edwards still urged residents to continue the use of bottled and filtered water.”
__________________________________________________________________
Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.
>>>Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com
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According to the Detroit News:
“Findings released Thursday indicate Flint, long troubled by water contamination problems, may be nearing “the beginning of the end of the public health disaster,” according to a key national expert leading monitoring efforts.
According to researchers from Virginia Tech, in the span of 12 months, the number of Flint homes at which water sampling shows non-detectable levels of lead has expanded from 9 percent to 45 percent in July. At the same time, testing showed a continued drop in the overall average of lead found in Flint homes — from 28.7 parts per billion in August 2015 to 13.9 parts per billion last month.
The federal action level for lead in drinking water is 15 parts per billion.
“Flint water now looks like it’s entering a range that is considered normal for U.S. cities,” said Marc Edwards, the Virginia Tech researcher whose team identified the lead contamination in Flint’s water last year. While the findings showed continued improvement, Edwards still urged residents to continue the use of bottled and filtered water.”
__________________________________________________________________
Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.
>>>Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com
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| Photo By Darlene Dowling Thompson |
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