Michigan Braces for Public Health Crisis Caused by Water Contamination

There is a panic-inducing public health emergency in Flinch, Michigan, after tests showed that the water supply here has led to a spurt in lead intake by children.

The conclusion was drawn after Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, head of the pediatric residency program at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine, initiated testing of children in Flint to check if they suffered from lead poisoning.

Flint's citizens had begun to find the "smell and taste of the water" suspicious, after the officials switched its water source from Detroit water system to the Flint River, according to HNGN.

"I was hoping not to find anything, but what we found ... is concerning. This is not something you mess around with. Our population already has so many issues from poverty, from unemployment, from violence," The Inquisitr  reports.

It even led to a cost cutting measure for the city, as it waited for the pipeline construction in Lake Huron to get over.

"As evidenced by the ongoing poisoning of the children of Flint, it's time for the EPA to take immediate action to provide us with a safe water source," said LeeAnne Walters, a Flint parent and member of the Water You Fighting For group.

The local citizens and national groups sent a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, asking Michigan and state environmental officials to go back to Detroit water.