Residents in U.S. Michigan city grapple with water crisis for 9 years without justice: ABC News

NEW YORK, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Nine years after the water contamination in Flint, Michigan, devastated communities, some residents of the majority-Black city say they are still grappling with long-term health issues, reported ABC News on Friday.

Lead and Legionella bacteria leached into the tap water of nearly 100,000 residents between 2014 and 2015. The Legionella bacteria, a type of pneumonia-causing bacteria, killed 12 people, according to data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The water switch was one of the sources for Legionnaire's, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The Flint water crisis, which prompted national outrage and spotlighted the issue of water contamination in the United States, began after unelected emergency managers switched the water supply from Lake Huron to the heavily polluted Flint River to save money in the economically depressed city, according to the report.

While it will never be proven that the Flint water crisis caused health issues for some residents, scientific research shows that lead exposure is associated with increases in the risk for fetal death and behavioral issues in children, Mona Hanna-Attisha, a Flint pediatrician and a key whistleblower in the early days of the water crisis, was quoted as saying.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Lead and Copper Rule in 1991, which established a Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) of zero for lead. The EPA's action level for lead in drinking water is 15 parts per billion; meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that lead levels in school drinking water should not exceed 1 part per billion, according to the report.