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• 1 2024-08-16T01:58:49+00:00 Health Impacts 4 plain 2024-08-16T03:23:43+00:00 The direct consequences of lead poisoning on the people of Flint particularly children were devastating and multiple. Lead is toxic to the human body, especially the nervous system; thus, ingesting it can lead to brain damage, behavioural problems, and learning difficulties in children (BBC News, 2020). People complained of numerous health issues such as skin rashes, hair loss, and unknown illnesses while the crisis was going on. However, the most alarming effect was observed in the impact on the children's emerging brains and nervous systems. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha who first exposed the issue nationally found that the proportion of children with high blood lead levels increased by almost a third after the change of water source (Magazine & Riley, 2024). This discovery called for an intervention and constant follow-up of the patient's health status.
  Consequently, As shown above, the impact of this crisis on the health of the people particularly in children has been considered severe in the long run. A study done a decade after identified that children who were affected by contaminated water had higher levels of anxiety, depression, and learning disability (Magazine & Riley, 2024). These effects will persist throughout the lives, perhaps generations of Flint’s children. It can even reach a point when the full cost of lead exposure will never be known as the effects can manifest in different forms at different times, perhaps after twenty or thirty years (Masten et al., 2016). Some studies have noted that childhood lead exposure could result in such future negative outcomes as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and cognitive impairment (Maney & Sarahbeth, 2024).
  Flint residents have been subjected to severe mental health impacts due to this situation. The stress and trauma that were a result of the water crisis have impacted people's psychology whereby people are now having high rates of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (Magazine & Riley 2024). The parents and caregivers have expressed guilt and helplessness for their children following negligence in such key infrastructures. The traumatized community is also characterized by the lack of trust in governance structures and the community’s struggle for justice (Ruble et al., 2019). Others are still living in fear and even doubt the quality of water they use even after one has solved the initial problem. This continuous psychological effect emphasises the need for a combination of mental health approaches in the healing process in Flint (Maney & Sarahbeth, 2024).