Editor’s note: Students in Michelle McCabe’s Chemistry class recently explored aspects of the Flint, Mich., water crisis through reflection on classwork and reading assignments. Students summarized their thoughts with the hope of bringing attention to the issue of water quality across the nation. This article was researched and written by students Margaridha Ribeiro; Karrina Martinez; Solomon James; Aylin Salinas; Silvana Altamirano; Jamie Gundeck; Joel Suarez; Angel Romero and Ayadiri Perez

In 2014, the city of Flint, Mich., changed its water supply from the Detroit

River to the Flint River, allegedly, as a cost-saving measure. According to articles

published by the Royal Society of Chemistry and Mother Jones, the Flint River in the

past had been a dumping ground for industrial waste; as such a water remediation

was implemented.

The remediation program used extremely high levels of disinfectants, which

caused the water to be even more corrosive. The use of disinfectants such as ferric

chloride not only cause high levels of trihalomethanes, which itself can lead to liver,

kidney and nervous system problems (Mother Jones), but also lead to the corrosion

of the protective plumbing layers. The corrosion of already old pipes caused

extreme high levels of lead to leach into municipal water. Lead toxicity can have

irreversible neurological affects, especially in children.

Lead has been used in plumbing for a very long time and can be safely used if

monitored and maintained properly. In many cases, corrosion is kept under control

by adding corrosion inhibitors (SafePluming) such as phosphates. However, this

was not used in Flint (RSC).

Another significant mistake with the Flint incident was that the initial water

testing procedure was not sound or consistent, causing the initial data to be

questionable and unreliable. The Flint water contamination was ignored for several

months by the city/state before receiving the attention from the EPA

(Environmental Protection Agency) (DemocracyNow.org).

The issue received national attention by the persistence of private citizens,

which underscores the importance of individual awareness and scientific literacy in

the community.

A few questions remain unanswered: should the procedure for evaluating

water quality be revised? Should private citizens receive more information about

what is in their water? How can the study of water chemistry improve the quality of

potable water?

Articles Reviewed

SafePlumbing.org: https://www.safeplumbing.org/health-safety/lead-in-plumbing

Mother Jones: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/01/mother-exposed-flint-lead-contamination-water-crisis

Royal Society of Chemistry: http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2016/02/flint-toxic-water-crisis-lead

DemocracyNow.org: http://www.democracynow.org/2016/1/7/headlines/michigan_protesters_demad_arrest_of_gov_snyder_over_flint_water