The Flint Water Crisis
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Healthy living calls for prevention and avoidance of toxic products. Lead is a naturally occurring metal substance, and it is quite useful when it comes to the manufacture of products such as batteries and pipes. Though beneficial, lead is quite toxic, and it has been held accountable for cases like the Flint Water crisis. The exposure to lead is more harmful to children as it is a potential cause for stunted growth. Besides children, lead is quite harmful to adults and pregnant women since it causes skin rashes, hair loss, and itchy skin. Its cases often occur in local areas in places that proper preventive measures are not placed in action. In Flint, exposure to lead had negative effects, including learning disabilities, shorter stature, and impaired hearing for children. The lead water crisis can be avoided through better law enforcement, advanced and more strict sampling protocols, utilization of the revised federal regulations, and proper state agencies’ funding.
The public health issue on lead can be dealt with through better law enforcement. Law enforcement officers play quite a big role in making sure that people living within a given area enjoy their rights. In Flint, for example, the cases of racism and class stereotyping played a great role in increasing the consumption of lead by citizens. When the citizens raised the issues about bad water supply, the government officials did not act fast since it was an African American complaint. Better law enforcement can be implemented by creating community immersion. This will help bring citizens and law enforcement officers together, which breeds unity. Better law enforcement should also be implemented through the transactional model of communication and active listening. This way, the community can air their issues, say the cases of bad odor in water, and the condition can be handled before it grows to become a crisis.
Stricter sampling protocols should also be implemented. All citizens should have access to quality water. The water being supplied to many people has high chances of lead exposure or other impurities. This is because sources like the Flint River are used as waste drainage sites by the industries in the region. Some industries even go ahead and drain untreated waste in the water reservoirs. The pipes used to take water to the households might also be lead leached due to sage. Shallow sampling protocols will probably show that there are low amounts of lead and conclude that the water is safe. However, strict sampling protocols will give a worthy conclusion, and the government will be able to curb the health effects associated with leading poisoning. Water provided will be of quality in physical, chemical, and even biological characteristics.
As new rules and regulations evolve with time, it is good to use revised federal regulations. The American people are governed by rules and regulations that are made by congress. These regulations are set to ensure that every American individual, regardless of race or ethnicity, has equal rights. Some early rules and regulations might oppress the modern citizens coming from less fortunate communities. About 45 percent of the Flint citizens, for example, live below the poverty lines. Therefore, they can lack frontline opportunities for care in the case of a crisis if the earlier federal regulations. However, using the revised federal regulations will help place the issue at the front line and help provide solutions for issues like an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, which resulted from negligence in treating the Flint water crisis. The revised federal regulations should, therefore, be implemented at all times.
Times of crisis call for more funding for state agencies. In most cases, state agencies play a major role in fighting water and other health and environmental problems. At times, they manage to handle the issues themselves and provide a better life for the citizens. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for example, donated $100 Million to Michigan, which was to be used to upgrade the infrastructure of the Flint Water project.Flint River Watershed Coalition, along with their organizations, are also making a considerable contribution to the project. Through proper funding, agencies can handle a crisis and make sure that preventive measures are taken. The children that have already been exposed can be catered for, and a big difference can be made through this.
The lead water crisis can be avoided through better law enforcement, advanced and more strict sampling protocols, utilization of the revised federal regulations, and proper funding of state agencies. Having a proper health care delivery system is very important. Clean water will be a substance for strong, healthy children and the community. It will also ensure that all the citizens try their rights and live a worthy life. The nation can grow as one, and everybody can be given equal opportunity to make something out of themselves. A strong community will be able to face future threats for the country more effectively and contribute to the formation of a more productive nation.