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Flint to issue lead in water warning after push from doctors, health officials xxxEND_PAGE:dhhs02_b0325_1248_1256_1 001249 xxxEND_PAGE:dhhs02_b0325_1248_1256_2 001250 Ron Fonger t rfongerl @milive.com Sex 24, 204& or o Reddit FLINT WATER « Flint to issue lead in water warning after push from doctors, health officials e GoFundMe page created by Virginia Tech researcher to buy filters for Flint residents « U.S. congressman calls for more testing of Flint water ® Lead fievels in Flint water soiked after switch to river, state records show » Appeals Court rules that lowered Flint water rates will remain in place AL Stories xxxEND_PAGE:dhhs02_b0325_1248_1256_3 001251 ouainal fie phate FLINT, MI -- The city of Flint is expected to advise its water customers on ways to ° minimize exposure to lead in water -- particularly for children -- after a group that includes doctors and health officials strongly suggested the step. Flint Mayor Dayne Walling confirmed the move on Wednesday, Sept. 23, after The Flint Journal-MLive learned the Greater Flint Health Coalition approved a resolution two days prior urgently asking the city to issue the advisory. Representatives of the coalition met privately with Walling and other city officials to express their concerns about the safety of Flint water, and issued a statement saying "not enough was being done to alert the public to potential risks of consuming Flint city water that could lead to elevated levels of lead.” Walling's statement said the city "will be issuing an advisory” on the matter "in cooperation with health partners promoting wavs to minimize the exposure to lead such as flushing pipes when the water has been sitting.” He did not specify when the advisory would be issued. Walling, who earlier this month asked Gov. Rick Snyder for $30 million for Flint's infrastructure, including $10 million to replace lead service lines to homes, said in an email that he “will continue to pursue funding for a comprehensive healthy homes initiative that addresses lead in paint and pipes.” "We have to get the lead out of our community to eliminate the threat of childhood lead poisoning,” the statement says. "I am extremely concerned to hear from doctors about any elevated blood lead levels in Flint's children.” 4 xxxEND_PAGE:dhhs02_b0325_1248_1256_4 001252 The Journal could not immediately reach Walling for more information on the concerns expressed to him by doctors about lead. Kirk D. Smith, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Flint Health Coalition, and state Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, the chairman of the group's board of directors, issued a statement to The Journal about the coalition’s recommendation on issuing precautions. "As a coalition of concerned physicians, health care professionals and county leaders, we are compelled to inform the public when there is a possible threat to their health so they can fake appropriate precautions and actions to protect themselves and their families,” the joint statement says. “At our last meeting and in recent days we have heard from numerous physicians who shared strong concerns that not enough was being done to alert the public to potential risks of consuming Flint city water that could lead to elevated levels of lead.” A resolution approved by the nonprofit coalition's board of directors, which includes representatives of Flint area hospitals, universities, physicians and unions, comes after researchers from Virginia Tech University reported their testing here shows a far-reaching problem with lead in water. Ten percent of Flint homes tested by Virginia Tech had 25 parts per billion of lead or more, far more than the allowable level -- 15 ppb -- set in federal guidelines, according to the university researchers. City and state officials have said their testing shows Flint's water supply meets all health and safety regulations, never rising above 11 ppb in more than 10 percent of homes during the last 16 months, but data from the state Department of Environment Quality shows lead lev souree in April 2014. At the urging of state and federal officials, the city announced three weeks ago that it would speed up the development of plans aimed at making Flint water less corrosive. Professor Marc Edwards of Virginia Tech has said treated river water is currently far more corrosive than water the city had used for decades -- Lake Huron water that was treated and piped here by the city of Detroit. Edwards has criticized the city and the state for not having developed a plan for reducing the corrosiveness of Flint's water because an estimated 15,000 homes in the city have lead 5 xxxEND_PAGE:dhhs02_b0325_1248_1256_5 001253 or lead solder in service lines and plumbing, making the homes much more susceptible to lead leaching into water. City Councilman Scott Kincaid, also a member of the GFHC, said he supported the organization's request for further action -- particularly after physicians raised concerns about how high lead levels could affect infants and young children. "I'm supporting the resolution. I think we need to advise people that there is a potential concern,” Kincaid said. "Lead isn't good for anybody, but the effect on infants" is especially disturbing. Although the city has yet to issue its lead advisory, Walling’s mention of allowing water to flush through pipes is the same advice given by Virginia Tech earlier this month. Researchers at the university have also recommended that infants not be fed formula made with unfiltered Flint tap water and that residents who are not flushing water for five minutes before using it for drinking or cooking should use a filter certified to remove lead. The Journal eould not reach Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, president and CEO of Mott Children's Health Center, for comment Wednesday. Other coalition members said Reynolds led the push for additional, quick action by the city. Lead is a toxic metal that was used for many years in products found in and around homes, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Even at low leveis, lead may cause health effects such as behavioral problems and learning disabilities. Current regulations for lead in water began in 1992 and require a limited amount of testing to measure the degree to which lead leaches into tap water after flowing through lead service lines and lead solder in home plumbing. Flint has struggled with its water quality since switching to the Flint River as its primary water souree in April 2014. Previously, the city had purchased water through the city of Detroit, which got its water from Lake Huron. Flint was required to step up its testing of water in homes after it shifted to the Flint River, which is intended to be a temporary move as the city and Genesee County are partners in building a new water pipeline to Lake Huron through a partnership called the Karegnondi Water Authority. xxxEND_PAGE:dhhs02_b0325_1248_1256_6 001254 The city has been using -- and Walling and state emergency managers have supported continuing te use -- the Flint River as a stopgap water source until the KWA pipeline is expected to be completed in 2016. In state testing of city water samples, Flint has stayed below the federal threshold for lead, with less than 10 percent of tap water samples exceeding 15 ppb. Water systems can be required to take steps like making water less corrosive or replacing lead service lines if sampling shows such elevated lead levels. But after the Virginia Tech testing showed lead was much more prevalent than Flint's testing by the city and DEQ. Kildee said in a news release Sept. 21 that "the city, DEQ and (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) have not adequately answered my questions on their testing methods to ensure the safety of Flint's water.” Redait