Flinch, Mich. is in the midst of a public health emergency after tests showed that the city's water supply caused an increase in lead intake by children. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, head of the pediatric residency program at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine, spearheaded testing of the children in Flint to see if they are suffering from lead poisoning.
"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.
Residents of Flint had been complaining about the smell and taste of the water ever since officials decided to shift its water source from Detroit water system to the Flint River, according to a previous report by HNGN.
The switch was a cost cutting measure the city had to take while waiting for pipeline construction to Lake Huron to finish.
A coalition of local citizens and national groups petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday to order Michigan and state environmental officials to reconnect Flint to Detroit water, Huffington Post reports.
"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, Fox News reports.
