Federal Investigators say Flint Water Crisis was ‘Entirely Preventable’

CDC says new study confirms lead in blood of kids from Flint, MI spiked after city switched to river as water source.

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A new federal report finds that the level of lead in the blood of children from Flint increased dramatically after the city began using its river as a water source.

A Flint pediatrician’s report last fall showing a massive spike in the lead found in Flint children’s blood samples triggered the public outcry over contamination in the city’s water supply.

Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is releasing a study that mirrors those findings.

The Centers found that during the year-and-a-half Flint used river water a child there was about 50% more likely to have elevated levels of lead in their blood than before the city switched away from the Detroit water system in April, 2014.

Officials with the Centers say the situation was “entirely preventable.”

This week federal officials said it is now safe for children and pregnant women to drink water from Flint, so long as it is properly filtered.

Author

  • Quinn Klinefelter is a Senior News Editor at 101.9 WDET. In 1996, he was literally on top of the news when he interviewed then-Senator Bob Dole about his presidential campaign and stepped on his feet.