In the past two years, the blood lead levels of children in Flint have doubled and in some cases tripled.
MICHIGAN–(ENEWSPF)–January 27, 2016. The ACLU of Michigan and other organizations filed suit today to ask a federal court to step in and secure access to safe drinking water for the people of Flint, Michigan.
The poisoning of Flint’s drinking water happened because the state installed unaccountable officials to run the city. Their reckless cost-saving measures contaminated the city’s water supply and put the city’s residents at risk.
Our lawsuit asks a federal court to compel the city and state officials to follow federal requirements for testing and treating water to control for lead. It also asks the court to order the prompt replacement of all lead service lines at no cost to Flint residents.
This crisis has garnered national attention as a result of the work of ACLU of Michigan on-staff investigative reporter, Curt Guyette. He found that government irresponsibility caused the contamination, which led to rashes and hair loss—as well as cognitive impairment in children.
Nearly 40 percent of the city’s residents, most of whom are African American, live in poverty. Learn more about what the ACLU is doing to protect vulnerable people who live in Flint.
Source: http://www.aclu.org
