Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Water Switch, Flint Children 50% More Likely To Have High Blood-Lead Levels: CDC
The Associated Press: Report: Lead Levels Higher In Flint Kids After Water Switch
Flint children under the age of 6 had significantly higher blood-lead levels after the city switched its water source in 2014 to save money, according to a report released Friday by U.S. disease experts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's report said the likelihood a child would have a concerning blood-lead level — at least 5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood — was about 50 percent higher after the April 2014 switch from Detroit's water system to the Flint River. (6/24)
Reuters: Flint Children's Blood Lead Levels Rose In Water Crisis: U.S. Officials
Federal health officials on Friday confirmed that the blood lead levels of children in Flint, Michigan, rose after the city switched to the Flint River as the source of its drinking water, exposing residents to dangerously high contamination. Flint, with a population of about 100,000, was under control of a state-appointed emergency manager in 2014 when it switched its water source to the river from Detroit's municipal system to save money. The city switched back in October. (6/24)
The Washington Post: New Data Shows Blood Lead Levels Spiked In Children In Flint, Mich.
Researchers found that Flint children had a 50 percent higher chance of having elevated blood lead levels after the switch in 2014. After the city switched back to Detroit water in late 2015, the percentage of children with elevated blood lead results "returned to levels seen before the water switch took place," the agency said. "This crisis was entirely preventable, and a startling reminder of the critical need to eliminate all sources of lead from our children's environment," Patrick Breysse, director of the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, said in a statement Friday. (Dennis, 6/24)
Los Angeles Times: Lead Exposure Soared After Kids In Flint Started Drinking Tainted Water, CDC Says
In Michigan, children living at or below the poverty line are targeted for lead screenings, and children enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program are required have their blood tested for lead around their first and second birthdays. High lead exposure, especially in children under 6, can slow growth, reduce intelligence and attentiveness, and cause behavioral problems. (Daley, 6/24)
Meanwhile, in Ohio —
The Columbus Dispatch: Former DuPont Employee Testifies She Sent News Releases Saying Water Was Fine
Dawn D. Jackson believed she was telling her Ohio River Valley neighbors the truth about C8 back in 2000. Her employer, DuPont, said the chemical used to make Teflon was not a cancer risk to humans and that only low levels had been detected in drinking water. It was as safe as "dishwashing soap," the company said. ... But the information was as tainted as the water DuPont dumped into the Ohio River for 53 years, attorney Gary Douglas said. (Rinehart, 6/25)
