Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
The Flint Water Plant tower is shown January 13, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. On Tuesday, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder activated the National Guard to help the American Red Cross distribute water to Flint residents to help them deal with the lead contamination that is in the City of Flint's water supply.
The Flint Water Plant tower is shown January 13, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. On Tuesday, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder activated the National Guard to help the American Red Cross distribute water to Flint residents to help them deal with the lead contamination that is in the City of Flint's water supply.
The Flint Water Plant tower is shown January 13, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. On Tuesday, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder activated the National Guard to help the American Red Cross distribute water to Flint residents to help them deal with the lead contamination that is in the City of Flint's water supply.
The Flint Water Plant tower is shown January 13, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. On Tuesday, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder activated the National Guard to help the American Red Cross distribute water to Flint residents to help them deal with the lead contamination that is in the City of Flint's water supply.
The Flint Water Plant tower is shown January 13, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. On Tuesday, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder activated the National Guard to help the American Red Cross distribute water to Flint residents to help them deal with the lead contamination that is in the City of Flint's water supply.

Flint water crisis: lead is dead

Jan. 22, 2016
President Obama has officially declared that Flint, Michigan, is in a state of Federal Emergency The biggest loses will be children and infants — the most vulnerable members of the population The aggressive water obviously shed decades of build-up within the potable water lines  

As plumbers we have been exposed to lead products for our entire careers and will continue to be exposed to lead. It is our responsibility to ensure we protect the health of our customers.

We no longer use lead piping, join piping using lead wipe-joints, routinely pour lead joints, heat and have molten-lead pots for hours on end in confined spaces where lead fumes accumulate, use lead-based solder, or disturb more than four-square feet of lead based painted surfaces if you are EPA RRP (Repair, Renovate, Paint) certified. All of our due diligence and care cannot protect our customers from municipal negligence be it at the local, state or federal levels.

President Obama has officially declared that Flint, Michigan, is in a state of Federal Emergency over its lead-contaminated municipal potable water system. He cannot make this a Federal Disaster declaration because the contamination is manmade. In an effort to reduce costs, Flint municipal water was switched from Lake Huron to Flint River, which was more corrosive. Many of Flint’s water lines are lead pipe.

York Water Company did a study years ago and tested three types of homes: ones with lead service lines (yes, they still exist), homes with 50/50 solder, and homes with lead-free solder. All three were below the EPA maximum allowable level of 15-PPB. The homes with 50/50 solder were close to the EPA limit. Ones with lead service lines had lower concentrations of lead due to York Water having no aggressive properties.

In Flint’s case, there is lots of blame to spread around. Their State Department of Environmental Quality has admitted they failed to address the need for chemical treatment to filter and neutralize the water’s aggressive nature. Government officials refused to believe doctors’ reports. End users complaints regarding taste, odor and color of Flint’s potable water were also ignored. If I was a lawyer, I’d move there, but I wouldn’t drink the water!

Heads will roll  

The biggest loses will be children and infants — the most vulnerable members of the population. Their young brains and nervous systems are still under development. Infants absorb lead at up to ten times the rate as adults do. Lead poisoning is a serious, can be a fatal condition, contributes to learning disabilities, can cause anemia, aggressive behavior, and hyperactivity. Other symptom include high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, kidney damage, low IQ, reduced growth rate, lowered grades in school, and partial deafness. Lead contamination has no smell, no taste, and cannot be seen in potable water, although Flint’s water did become discolored from other contaminates and had an odor.

The maximum contaminant level of lead in drinking water as established by the EPA is 15 parts per billion. One part per billion is the equivalent of one minute in 2,000 years. The EPA has established this as an “action level” for municipal water systems. If, on the other hand, this happens to be a private well-water system, the responsibility reverts solely to the owner.

The biggest loses will be children and infants — the most vulnerable members of the population. Their young brains and nervous systems are still under development.

Flint’s water tests revealed lead level ranging from 27-PPB to 158-PPB and in one case, the lead level test revealed the occupants were being subjected to 397-PPB! A year later, independent researchers returned to test that home’s water, while testing under various conditions: after flushing the lines and at various flow rates.

The results varied from a low of 200-PPB to high in excess of 5,000-PPB. The EPA classifies 5,000-PPB to be toxic waste. A year later? Someone, or groups of someones, needs to do time for this crime. The highest lead test levels in Flint? An astounding lead level in the potable water of 13,000-PPB!.

At first glance, it would seem prudent to install a filtration system for Flint homes’ drinking water or to have them bring in bottled water for drinking, cooking and brushing teeth. It is important, however, to understand that lead poisoning can also be absorbed through the skin or lungs by way of mist. This means that even bathing or showering the children in this water will continue to maintain elevated blood levels of lead poisoning. To date, I have not read any articles indicating the residents are being offered whole-house filtration or safe-water bathing facilities.

The aggressive water obviously shed decades of build-up within the potable water lines that has isolated the lead from direct contact with the potable water, and with those layers, biofilms. Biofilms provide an excellent habitat for bacterial growth. Legionella bacteria thrive and survive in biofilms.

Water temperatures above 55°F promote Legionella growth and municipal water systems see 80°F-85°F during summer’s warmer weather. Flint has witnessed a spike in Legionella disease with 87 confirmed cases and 10 fatalities. At most risk are the infants, children, elderly, and those whose immune systems are compromised.

There but for the grace of God we all go.

To review the study Hazardous Waste-levels of Lead Found in a Flint Household’s Water go to: http://flintwaterstudy.org/2015/08/hazardous-waste-levels-of-lead-found-in-a-flint-households-water/

All Dave Yates material in print and on Contractor's Website is protected by Copyright 2015. Any reuse of this material (print or electronic) must first have the expressed written permission of Dave Yates and Contractor magazine. Please contact via e-mail at: [email protected].       

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Contractor, create an account today!