The Flint water crisis

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 30 May 2024

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

Flint was once one of the richest cities in the United States. But in the 1980s, it was badly affected by the downturn in car manufacturing and by 2014 it was nearly bankrupt. To save money, the city switched its water supply away from Lake Huron to its own Flint River, but state officials failed to treat the river water properly. As a result lead, a powerful neurotoxin, was released into the drinking water.

Despite mounting evidence, officials denied anything was wrong and it took them a year and a half to switch water supply back to Lake Huron. But many residents of Flint –a majority African-American city with high rates of poverty– have been left fearful about the long term impacts on their children.

Rob Walker speaks to lifelong Flint resident Jeneyah McDonald who had two young children at the time. He also hears from Dr Mona Hanna-Attisha – a paediatrician and professor of public health– who helped bring the scandal to national attention after showing that lead had found its way into the bloodstreams of the city’s children.

(Photo: Bottled water donations to help with the Flint Michigan water crisis in 2016. Credit: Dennis Pajot via Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix,
0:06.0	the Science of Happiness Podcast.
0:08.0	For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want
0:14.4	to share that science with you.
0:16.1	And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley.
0:19.4	I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that
0:25.4	calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. Hello there. Welcome to the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm
0:40.8	Rob Walker. Today we're going back 10 years to 2014 and an American city
0:45.6	facing an emergency. It's not just a water crisis. It's a racial crisis. It's a poverty crisis.
0:55.0	In April 2014, the city of Flint in Michigan switched to a new water supply.
1:00.0	It was supposed to save money.
1:02.0	But what followed was an almost unbelievable story of an American
1:05.3	city that poisoned its people.
1:07.3	Nearly a hundred thousand residents were exposed to high levels of lead for at least 18 months.
1:13.0	What became known as the Flint water crisis soon turned into a national scandal.
1:18.0	In a largely black city, a sense of betrayal and anger.
1:23.0	But to understand what happened in Flint,
1:25.0	first we've got to go back before 2014,
1:28.0	before that switch in the water supply.
1:30.0	My name is Mona Hanna-Etisha.
1:32.0	I'm a pediatrician and professor with Michigan State University in Flint, Michigan.
1:37.0	And I'm going to rewind a little bit because this all happened because of some really important history.
	...

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