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Imagine waking up in the morning, in the United States, in your apartment or home, stretching your arms to the sky, embracing the grace of a brand new day. If you are like most of us, the physical reality of urinating is first, followed by a toilet flush. That is all the water in Flint is good for, so we are told. You walk over to brush your teeth and have to use bottled water, now donated to you, after your community who has been poisoned (based on decisions made by other fellow humans) expressed outrage. After brushing one’s teeth and it’s time to shower/bathe, what then? Warm up bottled water and take a sponge bath every day? What about the children, the babies, the elderly? How do you explain this sudden use of bottled water only to your children? What about homeless people who are already in a dire situation, often relying on water fountains or public bathrooms to take care of their hygienic and water drinking needs? What about the pets? What about the strays? They drink water too. Bottled water only? The pipes are ruined. When will they be replaced? What about the quality of life that water affords all living things? Actually, my questions are endless. This situation is a dreadful, public health nightmare warranting outrage! The reality is that Flint is a predominantly Black community with socioeconomic characteristics, namely significant poverty, which seemingly have led some to believe that their lives are insignificant.
At the time of this writing, a state of emergency has been declared in Flint, Michigan, which frees up 5 million dollars. The request was for a disaster declaration, which apparently is not available for man-made disasters. It seems that 55 million is needed to actually assist with this problem given the magnitude of it. While this happens in Flint, it is important to understand that from a low socioeconomic status vantage point, and beyond, there are many more cities/ communities that may be at risk for this maltreatment or other types of man-made catastrophes. It is an actual crime against humanity that we are witnessing. Every university with a public health program/school in the U.S. must stand up about this! This is not a time to only teach about it and review Flint as a case study but to do something! The what, when, where and how should be at the forefront of public health academia, given the knowledge within those walls, particularly in the area of environmental health. Epidemiologists and many other experts in public health must lend their expertise, not only to resolve this matter in Flint, but to ensure that people of all walks of life understand how and why this happened. Water is essential to life and hence to the health of the public.
As a person with a public health background, this is the antithesis of everything that I have ever understood about making sure that the public is healthy. Flint Michigan is a crime scene. There have been deaths there from this unsafe water situation. There should be fury, all over the nation, combined with fear, as we now know that the very water that the people of Flint consumed was poisoned, causing irreversible harm to the people, through lead poisoning (and other problems), which of course includes the children and pregnant woman and beyond of that city.
In conclusion, I’ll just point out that it’s football season. It’s almost time for millions of people to watch the Superbowl. If even half of the people who’s eyes are glazed over watching game after game, getting ready to root for the winner of the biggest of games, would turn their attention towards Flint and put as much energy into cheering for their team as protesting against the pain and suffering of the water poisoned city of Flint, then perhaps we will, once again, be at a point that we are concerned, as a priority, about what really matters for humanity, particularly in the midst of a crisis of this magnitude. FEMA is sending filters, water filter cartridges, water and water test kits and Cher has donated, in a partnership with Icelandic Glacial, 181,440 bottles. This is a step in the right direction but the key question is what else can WE do to help? Raise your voices, do what you can from every venue, with whatever skill set you have and let’s make sure that this never happens again, because next time, it may be your city/community. What’s in your glass/bathing water?
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