College Faculty Weigh in On Flint Contamination Crisis for World Water Day
Standard drinking water concentrated with more than 15 parts per billion (ppb) of lead is considered hazardous to human health, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In Flint, Mich., the amount found to be flowing from some of the taps surpassed 4,000 ppb.
Manhattan College faculty members and students who attended Crisis in Flint: A Panel Discussion on March 22 heard perspectives on the issue from four of the College’s faculty members. History professor Julie Pycior, Ph.D., offered some historical background on the economic plight the Midwestern city has undergone since the 1980s and 1990s, when the resident General Motors plants that kept its economy bustling, shut down and caused inhabitants to find work elsewhere.
Dart Westphal, Ph.D., an adjunct professor in the Urban Studies and Environmental Science departments, also spoke at the event, which was sponsored by the Catholic Relief Services Student Ambassador chapter at Manhattan. He noted the cognitive and behavioral health ramifications sustained by children exposed to high levels of lead, which may even result in delayed puberty and hearing problems.
Jessica Wilson, Ph.D., who teaches civil and environmental engineering at the College, informed audience members about the science behind what made Flint’s water toxic; a problem that began when its water source was switched in 2014 from Lake Huron to the Flint River, a body that was found to be 19 times more corrosive. Issues worsened after officials failed to treat the water with an anti-corrosive agent that would prevent lead from leaching into it.
Finding a Solution
After addressing the situation, government professor Margaret Groarke, Ph.D., suggested ways the College community can help. Organizations like the American Red Cross, Flint Water Fund and Convoy of Hope, a Missouri-based group, are donating bottled water by the truckloads, but this isn’t a sustainable, long-term solution.
“Sending money and water is necessary but not sufficient,” she said. “They don’t change the fact that next month and next year, people will still need fresh water.”
As of March 2016, Congress had proposed $250 million in assistance for Flint and other U.S. cities with heightened exposure to lead in their tap water. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder also asked legislators in the state for $28 million in immediate action.
But that’s just a start. Groarke recommends that students get involved in environmental and racial justice movements or engage in a local campaign. To begin, it’s important that students are informed about the issues to determine the best way of solving them.
“You have to give people the tools to understand what’s going on and to get involved,” added Groarke, who refers to herself as a “half-activist, half-scientist” when it comes to issues like this.
The College community is currently brainstorming ways to directly aid Flint residents who have been affected by a crisis many consider to be a national disaster.