The effects of the health crisis currently unfolding in Flint, Michigan, will be felt for years to come. This is not a bold, overly negative prognosis: It is a tragic reality reinforced by science — or, rather, the lack thereof.
Although the news from Flint has been steadily building for months (or years, depending on how you quantify the buildup to tragedy), coverage of lead poisoning in the city’s water reached a crescendo last week after President Obama signed an emergency declaration for the city on Saturday. This declaration will allow the city to receive federal aid money to help alleviate the situation but, by most accounts, it will be far from enough.
The situation devolved into a partisan issue following comments made by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s during the closing moments of Sunday’s Democratic debate. Slamming Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Clinton took him to task for allowing the situation to escalate under his watch. Clinton’s critical comments were compounded by a press release from the Bernie Sanders camp, which called for Gov. Snyder to resign.
“Because of the conduct by Gov. Snyder’s administration and his refusal to take responsibility, families will suffer from lead poisoning for the rest of their lives,” the press release reads. “Children in Flint will be plagued with brain damage and other health problems. The people of Flint deserve more than an apology.”
Both Sanders and Clinton are right on several accounts. Gov. Snyder and his administration indeed all but facilitated this tragedy, and their efforts to rectify it are coming too little, too late. What’s more, any efforts on their part cannot undo the unpredictable, irreversible physical and mental damage that is going to afflict the children of Flint in the coming decades.
Where they’re wrong — and we’re disappointed Bernie did not rise above this sort of thing — is in the rush to damn and accuse rather than heal, resolve and reform. There is an obvious and pressing need to hold someone accountable for the unforgivable oversights that have backed Flint residents into a corner.
It is evident that much of the blame lies at Snyder’s feet, but when viewed comprehensively, the safeguards meant to prevent this very sort of incident were bungled at nearly every level of governance. On both a state and federal level, environmental agencies consistently opted to go with the more cost-effective options rather than the safer — but more costly and time-consuming — alternatives.
Blame the Snyder administration if you will, but don’t forget the Environmental Protection Agency’s complicity in permitting the Flint government to pump water from the Flint River, which was long known to be unhealthy.
There is no safe amount of lead for the human body, especially for young children and infants. With that in mind, what can be done for the 8,657 children under 6 years old in Flint, as well as those who have yet to be born?
The answer is, tragically, not much. Ideally, the federal and Michigan governments will establish relief funds and programs to clean the water. There will also likely be initiatives to help the town’s parents and children adjust to the new physical and mental needs they never would have had to deal with if government officials had done their jobs properly. But no amount of money can take away from the pain and heartbreak facing this town in the years to come. What is needed now is reform in the widest sense, generosity and, just maybe, a degree of faith.
