I was raised in Flint, Michigan, about 50 yards from the Flint River. This community holds a very special place in my heart. To hear that an unfathomable number of Flint's children have been exposed to poisonous levels of lead and other heavy metals through the city's water supply is simply heartbreaking.
In 1978, General Motors employed 80,000 Flint residents. The city was home to 39 of the world's largest auto factories, and its citizens had one of the highest per capita incomes for a city of its size. Flint has been home to great entrepreneurs like Billy Durant, who founded General Motors, and renowned artists like documentary filmmaker Michael Moore -- himself one of the first to sound the alarm about the tragedy taking place in Flint's water system.
Billy Durant founded General Motors in Flint (source)
Because of high labor costs GM began closing Flint plants and moving operations out of the U.S. in the 1980s, precipitating the city's economic collapse. Today, GM employs approximately 5,000 Flint residents, according to MSNBC. As I wrote in my 2014 article, Flint is one of America's most destitute and violent cities, although many scrappy entrepreneurial citizens are working hard to turn that around.
So it's particularly rough that Flint, of all places, has been hit by a water disaster. Because government officials have failed to respond quickly to the poison in the city's water supply, Flint children are suffering. Heavy metal poisoning can cause serious mental and physical impairment in children, and is also linked to such neurological diseases as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's.
Heavy Metal Exposure Symptoms
Flint parents should be on the lookout for the following symptoms of repeated lead exposure:
· abdominal pain or cramps
· constipation
· sleep problems
· headaches
· irritability
· loss of appetite
· fatigue
· numbness or tingling in extremities
· memory loss
· behavioral problems
· hearing problems
· growth delays
Here are three tips that I hope will give some comfort and guidance to Flint parents dealing with this nightmare.
1) Chelation and EDTA Therapy These are FDA-approved methods doctors can use to help clear lead toxicity from your child, if deemed necessary. Chelation means "to grab" or "to bind," and chelation therapy involves using medications that will bind to heavy metals and cause them to be excreted by the child's kidneys.
EDTA is a prescription medicine, given by injection into the vein (intravenously) or into the muscle (intramuscularly). Intravenous EDTA is used to treat lead poisoning and brain damage caused by lead poisoning
2) Fight Lead Poisoning with a Healthy Diet The EPA recommends that children eat four to six small meals a day to keep their stomachs full and less vulnerable to lead absorption. Iron-rich and calcium-rich foods also reduce lead absorption. Iron-rich foods include spinach, lean red meats, fish, chicken and dried fruits such as raisins and prunes. Calcium-rich foods include green leafy vegetables (collards, spinach, kale) and dairy products. Foods rich in vitamin C, such as oranges and grapefruits, are also very helpful, especially when combined with iron-rich foods.
Filmaker Michael Moore protesting Flint's water crisis (source)
3) Protect Your Kids from All Environmental Damage
Lead is just one heavy metal that can damage your kids' health. In general, children are more vulnerable than adults to pollution, second-hand smoke, excessive radiation and even hormone disruption from exposure to BPA--, a chemical commonly found in plastics. Some holistic doctors also point to dental fillings as potential sources of mercury contamination and to computers, cell phones and the like as sources of overexposure to electromagnetic waves (EMS).
Resources: National Resources Defense Council "Chemicals in Plastic Bottles: How to Know What's Safe for Your Family",
Campaign for Mercury-Free Dentistry, New York Times "Science Debate Continues on Hazards of Electromagnetic Waves"
Every Adult in Flint should become knowledgeable about water contamination. Becoming an expert on these issues will help all parents protect their children in the future. My hope is for my hometown to once again become a leading city of the world--perhaps this time Flint can be a leader in raising awareness of how critically important it is to be ever-vigilant in protecting our children from environmental hazards.
Special thanks to Lenore Holtz for help with editing and research.