Cheng, Zihang
(2018)
Late attention to children's health under lead exposure: legacy of Flint water crisis?
Master Essay, University of Pittsburgh.
Abstract
The city of Flint was the focus of national and international attention due to a lead-contaminated water crisis that begin in September 2014. Testing of water systems confirmed with excessive amount of lead, which Flint's 100 thousand residents had been unknowingly drinking with for 18 months. The proportion of children with elevated blood lead level (BLL) in the city of Flint is nearly twice as high as before the replacement of the water source. The reasons behind the crisis are complicated, while increased attention to children’s health under lead exposure reminds us to promote awareness of lead pollution and its public health importance.
The article gives a wide review of lead and its characteristics, especially children’s susceptibility, revealing the mechanism behind toxicity among vulnerable population. This is followed by systematical analysis of problems reflected in the Flint water crisis. We mainly discuss three aspects, including complexity of current lead pollution among children in United States, inaccuracy in formulation of lead standards and uncertainty in determining the relationship between prenatal lead exposure and health effects. These unsolved problems can provide valuable directions for future studies.
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