The Widespread Reality of Lead and Other Poisonings

For the past few years, Flint, Michigan has been in the news due to a water crisis exposing thousands of children to significant amounts of lead. The governor of the state has been under fire, as have local politicians, for failing to address the issue in a timely manner, and for allowing significant amounts of exposure to occur for years.

Lead poisoning has major effects on the human body, particularly in children. It is difficult watching the news and seeing parents try to cope with the knowledge their children might have suffered due to exposure. Lead poisoning in children is linked to:

• Lower IQ
• Significant behavior issues
• Slower growth

But even as Flint attracts the majority of the news, lead poisoning is a problem all over America. Reuters recently used records from the Center for Disease Controls to investigate just how widespread childhood lead exposure is, and the findings were horrific. They discovered that Flint, rather than being unique, is just one of thousands of communities with a contaminated water supply. In fact, Reuters determined there are at least 3,000 areas with more significant lead poisoning exposure than Flint.

All over America, officials deal with limited budgets for dealing with issues like these. Unfortunately, the long term cost to society for failing to remediate these problems is significantly higher than fixing them would be. Dealing with children with academic and behavioral issues due to lead poisoning will likely cost school districts millions more than fixing the water supply.

If you or someone you love, particularly a child, has suffered due to lead exposure, determining how to force your community to come to terms with the danger can be difficult. Knowing what options are available to you is important. Please contact an experienced attorney who can provide you with knowledgeable answers to your questions.