Calls for Michigan Gov. Snyder’s Arrest as Flint Poisoning Scandal Implicates Top Sta

[boutons_deux]

Calls for Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s ouster—and arrest—are growing after internal emails showed that his high-level staffers were aware of lead poisoning in Flint’s public water supply six months before the administration declared a state of emergency.

According to (http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/internal-email-michigan-blowing-flint-over-lead-water-n491481) the newly-released emails, which were obtained by NBC News, Snyder’s chief of staff at the time, Dennis Muchmore, wrote to an unnamed high-level health department staffer: “I’m frustrated by the water issue in Flint.”
“These folks are scared and worried about the health impacts and they are basically getting blown off by us (as a state we’re just not sympathizing with their plight),” Muchmore wrote in the email, according to journalists Stephanie Gosk, Kevin Monahan, Tim Sandler and Hannah Rappleye.

“I really don’t think people are getting the benefit of the doubt,” wrote Muchmore. “Now they are concerned and rightfully so about the lead level studies they are receiving.”

But it was not until this week that Snyder declared (http://www.michigan.gov/snyder/0,4668,7-277-57577_57657-372653--,00.html) a state of emergency, following in the footsteps of the city’s mayor (http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/12/15/lead-poisons-citys-children-mayor-declares-state-emergency).

“The health and welfare of Flint residents is a top priority and we’re committed to a coordinated approach with resources from state agencies to address all aspects of this situation,” Snyder said on Tuesday. :lol :lol

Following the resignation (http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/12/30/mich-gov-sorry-flints-man-made-water-catastrophe-continues) of Michigan’s top environmental official, as well as sustained community demands (http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/community%20demands), the Department of Justice announced (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/flint-michigan-water-lead_568be5abe4b014efe0dbb159) this week it is launching an investigation into the water crisis.

Many hold Snyder directly culpable for the emergency itself, and note (http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/01/partial-victory-detroit-water-crisis-city-regains-power-resource) his role in the Detroit water crisis.

“The source of the Flint Water Crisis leads directly to Gov. Rick Snyder and the fiscal austerity policies that he and his Republican colleagues have been pushing for years on Michigan residents,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan,” in a statement released Thursday. “Families in Flint were forced to drink lead-tainted water while the administration scoffed at their concerns and cries for help. An entire generation of Michiganders now face an uncertain future because of Republican cuts to essential and life-giving services.”

The Republican governor appointed Flint emergency manager Darnell Earley who enforced the April 2014 decision to switch from the Detroit system to the Flint River to source water. In an angry letter to Snyder, filmmaker and Flint native Michael Moorewrote (http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/01/07/dear-gov-snyder-you-have-go-jail):

Your staff and others knew that the water in the Flint River was poison—but you decided that taking over the city and “cutting costs” to “balance the budget” was more important than the people’s health (not to mention their democratic rights to elect their own leaders.) So you cut off the clean, fresh glacial lake water of Lake Huron that the citizens of Flint (including myself) had been drinking for decades and, instead, made them drink water from the industrial cesspool we call the Flint River—a body of “water” where toxins from a dozen General Motors and DuPont factories (http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2014/10/gms_decision_to_stop_using_fli.html) have been dumped for over a hundred years. And then you decided to put a chemical in this water to “clean” it—which only ended up stripping the lead off of Flint’s aging water pipes, placing that lead in the water and sending it straight into people’s taps.


Moore, in fact, is circulating a petition (http://michaelmoore.com/ArrestGovSnyder) calling on U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to arrest Snyder for “corruption and assault.”

While Flint returned to the Detroit water system in October following public concern (http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/10/08/lead-poisoning-fears-finally-stir-action-does-it-come-too-late-people-flint), the wide-spread lead poisoning can not be undone. According to (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs379/en/) the World Health Organization, “Young children are particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of lead and can suffer profound and permanent adverse health effects, particularly affecting the development of the brain and nervous system.”

And there are already signs damage has been done. A study released in September by researchers at the nearby Hurley Children’s Hospital identified (http://flintwaterstudy.org/2015/09/pediatric-lead-exposure-presentation-from-hurley-medical-center-doctors-concerning-flint-mi/) a “rise in blood lead levels of children less than 5 years old” living within two Flint Zip codes since the city began sourcing drinking water from the Flint River.

In a municipality that is 56 percent black (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/26/2629000.html) and, according to (http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2015/09/flint_detroit_among_nations_po.html) the latest U.S. Census, one of the poorest cities in the country, community coalitions including “Water You Fighting For (http://www.gossiprocks.com/forum/laughs-oddities/146851-11-chefs-look-like-old-lesbians.html)” charge that profound injustices lie at the root of the current crisis. As Moore noted, “To poison all the children in an historic American city is no small feat.”

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/calls_for_gov_snyders_arrest_as_flint_poisoning_sc andal_20160107?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+Truthdig+Truthdig%253A+Dril ling+Beneath+the+Headlines

[boutons_deux]

Flint is a disaster zone. And Michigan and federal officials made it that way. (http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/1/6/1466585/-Flint-is-a-disaster-zone-And-Michigan-and-federal-officials-made-it-that-way)

a staggering and widespread amount of lead poisoning and lead exposure to citizens since switching from Detroit’s Lake Huron-based water system to an interim system based in the polluted Flint River. As many as five percent of all children in the city suffered from elevated levels of lead in their blood and an unknown number more people were exposed to high levels of lead in drinking water, showers, and food preparation.

soon after Flint was hooked up to the new source, residents found out the true costs of Kurtz’s decision. Flint River water sucked. Almost immediately, residents began complaining about the foul taste and smell of the water and the orange-brown tint. Formal complaints ensued, and Flint drinking water was found to be in violation of five non-lead-related National Primary Drinking Water Regulations in less than a year. These include multiple coliform (think E. coli and its cousins) and trihalomethane violations. Coliform bacteria incubate most strongly in animal and human feces and are a good indicator of the amount of poop in drinking water. Trihalomethanes—including good old chloroform—are usually byproducts of chlorine treatment to make water drinkable. The presence of both above acceptable levels indicates that something was really, really wrong with the water even absent the whole lead poisoning thing. This was an environmental crisis in itself

Flint officials also made two key terrible water treatment decisions. After switching to the Flint River, they inexplicably decided not to treat the water with orthophosphate, a chemical that the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) mandates is necessary for all major bodies of drinking water. Orthophosphate keeps water from corroding lead pipes in older water and sewage systems and leeching lead particulate into the water. This decision was made despite then-Emergency Manager Darnell Earley’s (Kurtz’s successor) attestation to the EPA (http://www.aclumich.org/democracywatch/index.php/entry/flint-water-and-the-no-blame-game) that Flint was prepared to properly treat the water and would be doing so.

Also, in order to treat the organic pollutants in the water, the City of Flint began adding ferric chloride. Ferric chloride has the opposite effect of orthophosphate and can increase water’s corrosive effects on lead pipes.Even after independent researchers verified multiple times that children were suffering from elevated lead levels, officials still denied that a problem even existed. DEQ spokesman Brad Wurfel stated in July 2015 that “anyone who is concerned about lead in the drinking water in Flint can relax. There is no broad problem right now that we’ve seen with lead in the drinking water in Flint.”

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/01/06/1466585/-Flint-is-a-disaster-zone-And-Michigan-and-federal-officials-made-it-that-way?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos %29

For Repugs, BlackLivesDontMattter

[boutons_deux]

Cost to fix Flint water infrastructure could reach $1.5 billion: reports
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-michigan-water-idUSKBN0UL2HW20160107?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews

[Winehole23]

can't fix the people poisoned, but there might be a piddling fine for that.

[Winehole23]

can the affected people sue?

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad the highlighting if you knew how to actually address important points. It's like reading through highlighting practice in middle school reading class.

[Winehole23]

it's a bid for visibility. people gloss over boutons's posts -- I know I do.

[boutons_deux]

Right now, the State of Michigan should be able to say that it has ensured the delivery of bottled water and water filters to every Flint resident whose drinking water has been contaminated by lead…. Instead, the governor is offering placid responses and slow-walking important remedies, while the investigation into how one of Michigan’s greatest man-made public health crises unfolded comes up with explanations in dribs and drabs.

It’s not just derelict – it invokes inglorious comparison to other callous and insensitive official responses to tragedy. Think of the shameful federal response to Hurricane Katrina, where the same lack of urgency delayed life-saving aid. The poverty rate in Flint is 40%; 52% of Flint residents are African-American. And so we are prompted to ask: How would the state have responded to a crisis of such proportions in a community with more wealth and power?



Of course, there’s a key, heartbreaking difference between recent developments in Flint and the crisis in New Orleans in 2005: Katrina was a natural disaster; Flint’s disaster was the result of public officials showing breathtakingly bad judgment.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/michigans-snyder-facing-nations-most-serious-scandal?cid=sm_fb_maddow

[boutons_deux]

can't fix the people poisoned

false

The role of modified citrus pectin as an effective chelator of lead in children hospitalized with toxic lead levels.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18616067

[boutons_deux]

The EPA's Hush-Hush Response to the Flint Water Crisis

'At that point, you do not just have smoke, you have a three-alarm fire and should respond immediately,' charges water researcher

http://www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_large/public/headlines/grossflintwater.jpg?itok=qDsUxei7



Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for months knew about the poisoning of the Flint water supply and, rather than raise alarm and stop residents from drinking the lead-tainted water, took a backseat on the matter.

The Detroit News reported (http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2016/01/12/epa-stayed-silent-flints-tainted-water/78719620/) late Tuesday that federal officials began making inquiries in February and the region's top EPA official, Susan Hedman, confirmed to the newspaper this week that as early as April the agency knew about the lack of corrosion controls in the water system.

According to the reporting:

An EPA water expert, Miguel Del Toral, identified potential problems with Flint’s drinking water in February, confirmed the suspicions in April and summarized the looming problem in a June internal memo (http://flintwaterstudy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Miguels-Memo.pdf). The state decided in October to change Flint’s drinking water source from the corrosive Flint River back to the Detroit water system.
Critics have charged Hedman with attempting to keep the memo’s information in-house and downplaying its significance.


Federal officials for months engaged in a bureaucratic, behind-the-scenes "battle" with Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) "over whether Flint needed to use chemical treatments to keep lead lines and plumbing connections from leaching into drinking water," the paper reports. Hedman argued that it was not the "role" of the federal agency to regulate local water operations.

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/01/13/epas-hush-hush-response-flint-water-crisis

Flint is what you get when the Feds go hands off, deferring to "Repug states rights"

[boutons_deux]

How Does Lead Affect the Nervous System

Lead is toxic to many organs of the body. It is especially dangerous because it can damage the brain and peripheral nerves. These nerves connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body. Lead can affect anyone, but children are especially at risk because they are still growing rapidly.

Peripheral Nerve Damage

Lead poisoning can cause peripheral nerve damage: this can cause muscle weakness and problems with the sense of touch. When researchers examine these damaged nerves, they find that the myelin insulation is often gone and the axons are destroyed. These changes prevent nerves from transmitting messages properly.

Brain Damage

Lead can cross from a mother's blood supply to her developing baby in the uterus, where it concentrates in the baby's brain, liver and bones. Babies who are exposed to lead tend to be born premature and weigh less than normal. Lead may disrupt the functioning of mitochondria in the developing brain. Because the mitochondria are important for energy production within a neuron, a change in their function may damage the cell. Lead may also affect brain function by interfering with neurotransmitter release and synapse formation.Lead affects many different areas of the brain including the cerebral cortex, cerebellum and hippocampus.

The structure of blood vessels in the brain may also be altered which can can lead to bleeding and brain swelling. In children, lead exposure has been associated with reduced IQ, learning disabilities, decreased growth, hyperactive and antisocial behavior, and impaired hearing. Lead-poisoning in adults may cause muscle and joint pain, digestion problems, memory and concentration problems, high blood pressure, headaches, and dizziness.

https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/metal.html

[boutons_deux]

MI health dept propaganda saying only "43" found with high levels of lead in blood.

Maddow had a pediatrician on saying the "43" is misleading (mis LEAD ing?) because lead doesn't stay in the serum long, but settles into bones, organs, nervous system where blood tests don't detect it.

[boutons_deux]

Flint learns of Legionnaires' disease spike as water crisis continues

Residents of Flint, Michigan, already reeling because of lead contamination in their drinking water, got more disturbing news on Wednesday.

Gov. Rick Snyder announced the number of cases of Legionnaires' disease has spiked in Genesee County in the two years since Flint switched its water supply from the Great Lakes to the Flint River.

But the increase cannot be directly attributed to the switch, said Nick Lyon, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Not all the people who got Legionnaires' were exposed to Flint water, he said.

From June 2014 to November 2015, at least 87 county residents developed Legionnaires' disease, compared to between six and 13 cases in the four preceding years, Lyon said. Ten patients died, he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/health/flint-michigan-water-crisis/

[boutons_deux]

:lol

Federal-govt-hating Repugs' misgovernance, incompetence (their best attributes) fuck up an entire (mostly black) city, and now ask the hated Feds (out-of-state-taxpayers) to bail out their criminal asses.

Michigan gov asks Obama to declare Flint water crisis a disaster

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/01/15/michigan-gov-asks-obama-to-declare-flint-water-crisis-disaster.html

:lol Repug wankers, fakers, criminals are the greatest threat to USA, turn Flint into Mumbai

DoJ/FBI need to indict these sons of bitches.

[boutons_deux]

This is a collection of MRI scans from adults who were exposed to lead as children, showing the parts of the brain where the loss in mass occurred.

http://i.upworthy.com/nugget/56968e44cf767300240000d5/attachments/Exposure-05b70a0d291c889d1c5f22ace2dee1dc.jpg

http://www.upworthy.com/flints-massive-water-poisoning-all-started-with-an-innocent-enough-vote-at-city-council?c=upw1&u=93b0dc48c3d43410d2e8bfdf38c8e7c04dbcc2ae

[boutons_deux]

After Poisoning Entire City With Lead, Republicans Swiftly Vote To Gut Obama’s Clean Water Rule

It would seem inarguable that one of the government’s basic responsibilities is to set standards ensuring that people in the United States have safe drinking water.

So in May 2015 when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final version of the Clean Water Rule, “the agency cheered the broad reach of the rule, arguing that it would protect the drinking water of some 117 million Americans, or roughly a third of the population.”

But then along came Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), who promptly introduced a resolution to kill the EPA’s Clean Water Rule that was passed in November – ostensibly to protect “farmers and ranchers”, who coincidentally only comprise two percent of the population.

Yesterday, the Republican-led House similarly voted 253-166 for a resolution to overturn the EPA ruling.

President Barack Obama has, all-along, threatened to veto the resolutions should they pass Congress.

http://www.occupydemocrats.com/after-poisoning-entire-city-with-lead-republicans-swiftly-vote-to-gut-obamas-clean-water-rule-2/

Thanks, Repugs. Making America Shitty

No lawless n!gg@ is gonna make any rules to make America healthy again, after Repugs and BigCorp fuck it up.