Is the "Right to Clean Water" Fake News? An Inquiry in Media Literacy and Human Rights
Carolyn A. Weber, Heather N. Hagan · Social studies and the young learner · 2020
Almost immediately, residents of Flint — a majority-black city where 40 percent of the people live in poverty — started complaining about the quality of the water. City and state officials denied for months that there was a serious problem. By that time, supply pipes had sustained major corrosion, and lead was leaching into the water. The city switched back to its original water supply...but it was too late to reverse the damage to the pipes. High blood lead levels are especially harmful to children and pregnant women, and can cause "learning disabilities, behavioral problems and mental retardation."