Created Equal, Season 2: Former EPA Water Expert on Finding the Evidence for Flint

WDET’s “Created Equal” Season 2 focuses on the Flint Water Crisis and the elected officials, health care and environmental experts, and citizens who were on the ground from the beginning.

Elin Betanzo

“Nobody is really going to pay attention that there’s lead in the water until there’s evidence that people are being harmed by it.” – Elin Betanzo

The long-time friend of Mona Hanna-Attisha and former EPA water quality expert, Elin Betanzo first appears in “What The Eyes Don’t See” on page 30. In this episode, she details how she suspected Flint water was not safe in spite of government reassurances — and how she spoke up.

Elin Betanzo is a life-long friend of Dr. Mona and worked for the EPA during the Flint Water Crisis. She is the person who told Dr. Mona there was something wrong with the water. She is the founder of Safe Water Engineering LLC, a consulting firm working to improve access to safe drinking water through engineering and policy consulting. 

WDET’s “Created Equal” Season 2 focuses on the Flint Water Crisis and the elected officials, health care and environmental experts, and citizens who were on the ground from the beginning. 

The podcast season is a companion to the book “What the Eyes Don’t See,” written by Flint pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, above, whose research showed Flint children had elevated lead levels in their blood after the switch. 

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