I am writing to apply for a highly motivated position within The Department of Geography, Planning, and Sustainability emailed by Patrick Crumrine, chair of the Department. Currently, I am a rising senior at Rowan University in New Jersey majoring in Chemistry. The research field is an environment that interests me greatly and I believe that my skills and interests match your company’s goals of becoming the premier research organization worldwide. As a Resident Assistant on campus and living here for an extensive time, I have been concerned about the recent discoveries of lead found in the water. I became interested in the environment while discovering ways on how to maintain healthy drinkable water. This lead water incident has affected
... water crisis will have a long term affect on those who are consuming this water on a daily basis. Lead attack the brain and can cause coma and possibly death. Children who survive lead poisoning are left with serious health issues such as metal defects and leave a child mentally unstable. Even at lower levels of exposure symptoms such as behavioural changes such as reduced attention span, reduced intelligence quotient (IQ). Children with smaller amount of lead exposure also showed increased anti social behaviour, it also reduces educational attainment. These side effect of high lead exposure can leave children scarred for life. The water crisis in Flint Michigan car scar children for life. This could all be resolved if they could come to an agreement and replace the water pipes, allowing for cleaner and healthier water to be accessible to citizens in Flint Michigan.
This is why the Flint water crisis is so critical today. Because young children are being exposed to lead and they should actually be screened from the lead. The pipelines with lead in the water system and the whole community of Flint, not being able to drink water out of the facet as well as not being able to
Lead is a metal found virtually everywhere even today. Sources of lead include auto body shops, electric storage batteries, glazes for china dishes, crockery, insecticides, electric cable insulation, hose, pipe, sheet and floor coverings. Lead is associated with stain glass work, jewelry making and antique ceramic doll painting. Although lead in paint was outlawed, there are still many homes that have lead paint (White et al, 1990). Lead found in gasoline was found in one study to account for 23--27% of the lead blood levels in the people tested (Wagner, 1991). This exposure to lead sources is more of a concern for children due to the characteristic habit of children to taste everything they touch; this characteristic is known as pica. Children are also in closer contact with their lead polluted environment during play. They are more active and exposed to outdoor contaminates and they inhale dust and dirt that are lead contaminated. Furthermore, the adsorption rate of lead in the digestive tract is up to 10 times greater in chil...
When lead enters the environment, it starts to become a problem. After a period of about ten days, depending on the weather, it falls to the surface. Here lead builds up in the soil particles. Where it may make its way into underground water or drinking water due to the fact the grounds acidic or if it's soft enough. Either way it stays a long time on the soil or in water. Months or years down the road after the lead has built up it starts to become a problem for children that play outside of their homes . This lead containing soil particles get on the child's hands or clothing and end up in the child's mouth. After the build up of so much lead it leads to lead poison. Lead poisoning has been an issue since the early 1900s, when the use of lead started being banned from the manufacturing of paint in foreign countries such as Australia. Unfortunately, the United States did not start banning it until 1978, when it finally became illegal in our nation. Today 90% of the lead in the atmosphere comes from the burning of gasoline. This problem has been a large issue since the 1920s, when the Environmental Protection Agency started making laws on the amount of lead allowed in gasoline.
Once used for varying applications, lead is now known for its toxicity in the human body. Dr. Gary Goldstein, the chief executive of Kennedy Krieger Institute wrote, “Exposure to excessive amounts of inorganic lead during toddler years may produce lasting adverse effects upon brain function (Goldstein 1990).” Lead poisoning awareness has become increasingly prevalent in the American government, with lead poisoning testing recommended as early as nine to twelve months of age (Health and Human Services 2011). This paper will explain briefly lead’s history and industrial uses, as well as give an in-depth analysis on lead’s exposure to children and how it affects their developing brains.
For my third essay, I would like to write about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. I would like to discuss this crisis because water is a necessity every human must have to survive. People depend on water, but when the water supply is tainted and unsafe for consumption, a state of emergency occurs. The water in Flint was deemed unsafe, but the issue is far from over. There are several components I would like to mention including the timeline of the crisis, the Flint River, lead contamination, alleged officials’ lack of involvement, and the non-treatment of citizens’ water. I would like give emphasis on lead levels, scientific data, and the health issues associated with lead poisoning. The lack of city involvement is also something I plan
Drinking water contaminated bt lead is not a new problem. Lead was authentically used to produce pipes. It is an universal metal that has been used throughout the years, as a fundamental component in various products such as radiation, shielding, plumbing, gasoline, ceramic glazing, children’s toys, and paints. Its long history of use and distribution means lead exposure and its health effects are
What experiences have you had which prepare you for this position (e.g perhaps as an employee, leader, or working with people different from yourself, etc)?
Lead is a naturally occurring metal used in various industrial goods from pipes, paints, and well linings. Lead is a greyish heavy metal that is harmful if swallowed or breathed in. Lead can be handled without gloves, but should be limited and a thorough hand cleaning is needed afterwards 1. Lead originates from the Greek word “Protos”, which means first 2. Lead is known to be introduced into groundwater by contact with old lead pipes, runoff of lead based paint, leaded gasoline leakage, and automobile air emissions 3. Lead poisoning can greatly affect people such as “brain and nervous system damage, and particularly mental development impairment in children; reproductive system interference including effects such as premature infant and low births; circulatory system damage such as O2 absorption decrease and increase in blood pressure; and kidneys malfunctioning” (Kinder, 1997) 4. Lead contamination can be found anywhere lead is used or refined. As it is a naturally occurring metal, lead tends to seep into the ground easily with the assistance of water and its abundant use in manufacturing. Lead is transported into the system mainly by leeching by contact into the water source by older lead pipes, fittings, and various lead lined containers 5. Currently there is no other viable way to remove lead contamination from groundwater other than to pump and treat either in mass quantities or through reverse osmosis, distillation, or carbon filters 6. The main course of action and most reliable is to remove the source of the lead from contact with water 7.
Lead is naturally occurring, highly toxic metal found in trace amounts deep in the Earth. Mining lead constitutes half of its annual production. Lead is used in numerous commercial industries due to its distinct physical and chemical nature. Although it has various beneficial uses, lead is toxic to humans, even at relatively low levels. For this reason, regulations monitoring lead production and exposure have continued to progress since the 1960s. Lead’s specific characteristics dictate its fate in the environment. Today, there are several sites in the US that currently present risks of exposure to lead. The EPA has implemented techniques to remediate lead present in public water supplies.
The effects of lead poisoning or being around lead are very dangerous. People should be more careful and go to higher lengths to be safe and aware of the lead that can be surrounding them. This especially is for the sake of the children since they are an easier target and less immune to this because of the fact that their bodies are still growing. Lead is very harmful and people should be serious and take precautions to be safe.
Symptoms of lead poisoning include loss of appetite, weakness, anemia, vomiting, and convulsions, sometimes leading to permanent brain damage or death. Children who ingest chips of old, lead-containing paint or are exposed to dust from the deterioration of such paint may exhibit symptoms. Levels of environmental lead considered nontoxic may also be involved in increased hypertension in a significant number of persons, according to studies released in the mid-1980s. As a result, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in recent years have been revising downward the levels of environmental lead that it would consider safe.
Over the years, lead poisoning has become a major issue in the United States. The worst part about the lead poisoning outbreak is that it has increasingly worsened as the years have gone by. Along with the outbreak has come many harmful and deadly effects. Lead poisoning is a serious issue not to be taken lightly. Even a small pinch could be detrimental. It could even end someone’s life. Repairing the pipes, deteriorating health, and costly repairs were all effects of the lead poisoning outbreak.
“Water pollution happens when toxic substances enter water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans and so on, getting dissolved in them, lying suspended in the water or depositing on the bed” (WWF), thus leaving us with less fresh water. Furthermore, one of the ways humans, and many creatures, survive is by staying hydrated and to stay hydrated is it essential to intake water. Many of use drink water from the tap, but there are still chemicals about,“119 regulated chemicals—a total of 260 contaminants altogether—were found by the environmental group… analysis of more than 22 million tap water quality tests” (West). This is an issue where it needs to be addressed for the protection of human health. There is many pollution in water that Humans and creatures drink in, chemicals and waste are still in our tap water. For example, the flint water crisis “where thousands of people were exposed to lead in the drinking water” (Marchese).Many of, which lead to the exposure of lead to the children where “over 8000 children were exposed to lead” (Marchese). There were many who were outraged by this outcome and wanted it to resolve this situation and find the source on where it was happening. The reason being is that much of our water comes from Flint River where the river was wear down and caused pipes to erode as well. Action where taken in order to keep Flint water
...ea to have your water tested for lead or chlorine if using city water. There are shower and water filters that will eliminate most of the unsavory elements from your water supply available.