DETROIT, MI (WTVB) – President Obama came to Detroit yesterday and there was speculation he might also visit Flint, but it didn’t happen. He did talk about the Flint water crisis at a speech given at Cobo Hall, where he was visiting the North American International Auto Show.
His comments to a crowd of UAW members began with a pledge that the federal government will get the tragedy in Flint sorted out. The lead contamination crisis in Flint’s water could cause major medical problems for years to come.
Studies show that ingesting lead can cause neurological and learning problems in children. Some studies have shown that children’s IQs are lowered as lead in the blood increases. More than two-dozen children in Flint have shown blood levels much higher than the levels in most kids.
Neurological concerns are the biggest worry, but lead can affect all the body’s organs. Exposure to lead also can damage kidneys and reduce the protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells.
Health experts say people in Flint will need to have their blood lead levels monitored closely for years.
