Flint water crisis
E63245
The Flint water crisis was a public health disaster in Flint, Michigan, where cost-cutting measures led to lead-contaminated drinking water and widespread exposure, prompting national outrage and reforms in water safety oversight.
Statements (51)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
environmental disaster
→
public health crisis → water contamination incident → |
| affects |
Flint residents
→
drinking water supply → public health → |
| country |
United States
→
|
| discoveredBy |
independent researchers and local activists
→
|
| followedBy |
policy reforms in water testing and corrosion control
→
replacement of lead service lines in Flint → |
| hasCause |
cost-cutting measures
→
failure to apply corrosion control treatment → switch of municipal water source to Flint River → |
| hasEffect |
elevated blood lead levels in children
→
increased risk of developmental problems → lawsuits and criminal investigations → loss of trust in government → national scrutiny of water infrastructure → outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease → |
| involvesOrganization |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
→
City of Flint government → Emergency manager of Flint → Michigan Department of Environmental Quality → U.S. Environmental Protection Agency → Virginia Tech research team → |
| involvesPerson |
Karen Weaver
→
Marc Edwards → Mona Hanna-Attisha → Rick Snyder → |
| legalOutcome |
civil settlements for affected residents
→
criminal charges against some officials → |
| locatedIn |
Flint, Michigan
→
Genesee County, Michigan NERFINISHED → Michigan → |
| mainPollutant |
Legionella bacteria
→
lead → |
| mediaCoverage |
extensive national and international news coverage
→
|
| notableFor |
environmental justice concerns
→
impact on low-income and majority-Black community → lead-contaminated drinking water → regulatory failures in drinking water oversight → |
| partOf |
history of environmental justice in the United States
→
|
| significantEvent |
declaration of state of emergency by City of Flint in 2015
→
declaration of state of emergency by Genesee County in 2015 → declaration of state of emergency by Michigan Governor in 2016 → federal emergency declaration by President Barack Obama in 2016 → |
| startTime |
2014-04-25
→
|
| timePeriod |
2014–2019 (main acute phase)
→
|
| waterSourceAfter |
Flint River
→
|
| waterSourceBefore |
Detroit water system (Lake Huron via Detroit Water and Sewerage Department)
→
|
| waterSourceRestored |
Detroit water system
→
|
Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Flint, Michigan
→
|
associatedEvent |
|
Genesee County, Michigan
→
|
hasNotableEvent |
|
Flint, Michigan
→
|
knownFor |