Flint Drinking Water Lead Levels Suspected In Fetal Deaths: Study

New research suggests that high levels of lead in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan may have caused fetal death rates in the region to rise, and fertility rates to fall. 

According to a study conducted by researchers from Kansas University and West Virginia University, Flint fetal death rates and fertility rate changes were in sync with the time period during which lead levels in the city’s water system spiked. The study has not yet been published or peer reviewed, but raise further concerns for area residents that are continuing to deal with the Flint water crisis that first surfaced two years ago.

After government officials to switch the town from the Detroit Water System to water from the Flint River in April 2014, in an attempt to save money, residents immediately began complaining about cloudy and foul-smelling water, with many reporting skin lesions and rashes after exposure to the water.

Subsequent investigations confirmed that residents were being exposed to high levels of lead in their drinking water, and a number of children now have dangerously high blood levels, with the rate of childhood lead poisoning in Flint doubling since the water source was switched.

This latest study looked at health records from Flint and 15 other Michigan cities from 2008 through 2015. According to the findings, fetal deaths rose 58% after April 2014. The fertility rate fell 12% during the same time period.

In addition, babies in Flint during that time period were born several days earlier, 150 grams lighter and gained 5 grams less per week during that time period, when compared to newborns in other Michigan cities during that same time.

A number of lead poisoning lawsuits have been filed against the state and a number of state officials. Earlier this month, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a class action lawsuit filed against a number of state environmental officials should be filed in state court.

Another lawsuit against the state was settled this summer and will require the state pay the City of Flint $87 million to replace about 18,000 lead-contaminated water pipes by 2020. The settlement also required the state to pay nearly $900,000 to plaintiffs, and to place an additional $10 million in reserve to cover unexpected costs associated with Flint water problems.

Lead Poisoning Risks

Elevated blood lead levels are an indicator that children may be at risk for side effects of lead poisoning, which can lead to serious nervous system injury, brain damage, seizures, growth or mental disability, as well as other severe health problems throughout the rest of their childhood and life.

One of the more common causes of of lead poisoning is lead-based paint, which was banned in the United States in 1978 due to the risk of severe and permanent brain damage and developmental problems, particularly in children. However, a number of older homes still contain the toxic paint on the walls, and if it flakes or peals off, young children could ingest the paint chips or breathe dust that comes from the paint, resulting in lead poisoning. Many of those homes are owned by HUD or receive HUD assistance.

The CDC estimates that 535,000 children ages 1-5, or about 2.6% of such children in the U.S., have levels of lead in their blood that place them at risk for adverse health effects. To come up with that number, the CDC analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from the years 1999 to 2002, and 2007 through 2010.

The majority of those children are poor and live in older urban areas, mainly in the inner city. Most are minorities, meaning such exposures add to numerous problems already plaguing inner city black and Latino youths, such as poverty, high crime and poor schools.