Public health

Flint Water Crisis Deaths Likely Surpass Official Toll

The death toll in Flint, Michigan, from contaminated water may be much higher than state health officials have acknowledged, an ongoing FRONTLINE investigation has found. The likely killer: Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia caused by the legionella bacteria.

Officially, 90 people were sickened and 12 died from exposure to waterborne legionella bacteria during the 18 months that the city of Flint drew its water from the Flint River in 2014 and 2015. But FRONTLINE’s investigation has found 119 deaths from pneumonia during that time, some of which scientists say could actually have been caused by legionella. The tally is based on an extensive review of death records and interviews with epidemiologists and other scientists who are experts in the field of infectious diseases.

If the death toll is higher, as the records and interviews suggest, a 15-month delay by state officials in notifying the community about the legionella outbreak may have cost even more lives than the deaths state prosecutors have cited in an ongoing criminal case. More than a dozen state and city officials, including from the Michigan state departments of health, and environmental quality, are facing criminal charges associated with failing to alert the public […]

More about Flint, Michigan’s water crisis:

Michigan’s Lead in Drinking Water Protections Under Attack

Watchdog says lack of EPA oversight helped cause ‘catastrophic’ Flint water crisis

Fraudulence in Flint: How Suspect Science Helped Declare the Water Crisis Over

Will Smith, Jaden Smith’s biz will donate water to Flint until lead down in schools

ACLU Wants Flint Kids Screened for Impact of Lead

Local sorority raises $20,000 to help Flint’s water crisis

Study: Fewer pregnancies, more fetal deaths in Flint after lead levels rose in water

Summary
Article Name
Flint Water Crisis Deaths Likely Surpass Official Toll
Description
If the death toll is higher, a delay by Michigan officials in alerting public about legionella may have cost more lives than state prosecutors have cited.
Author
Publisher Name
Frontline - PBS
Publisher Logo

Recent Posts

LA River restoration connects us back to ‘the life force of our city’

Los Angeles residents at a section of the Los Angeles River cleanup in Los Angeles,…

2 days ago

LAist: New study raises questions about heavy metals in fire retardants

Over the past decade, about 67 million gallons of fire retardant have been dropped on…

2 days ago

Meadow and watershed restoration in the Golden Trout Wilderness

Photo: Golden Trout Wilderness Seeking blue, seeing gold The Kern Plateau features a chain of…

3 days ago

First sighting of salmon in 100 years marks key milestone for California dam removal

For the first time in more than a century, a salmon was observed swimming through Klamath…

1 week ago

Developing state water roadmaps is essential

New turnout facility from the California Aqueduct on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. Officials say the…

2 weeks ago

Migration Matters: Breaking Down Barriers to Migration

Over the past century, humans have constructed major transportation infrastructure like highways, bridges, railroads, and…

3 weeks ago