The crisis that unfolded in Flint, Michigan is not an isolated one. The United States has had an extensive history of using lead in water systems and not knowing just how dangerous it was, especially when using in very soft, acidic waters. In the beginning of the 19th century, lead pipes were already commonly used for service lines directly to residences because of its malleability and durability. Unlike iron or galvanized steel, lead could be easily bent around obstructions and it was highly resistant to corrosion, lasting nearly twice as long as other materials during that time. However, negative health effects of the material were being well established within the scientific community as early as the 1840’s, with research linking high exposure to lead with high rates in infant mortality, stillbirths, sterility, and even insanity (Troesken). The full hazards of lead wouldn’t become officially realized until long after lead pipe systems were installed all across the country, with nearly half of the country’s municipalities, and even the nation’s five largest cities, using lead pipes to some extent, mostly for the connections into people’s homes. It would be nearly 100 years later for states to begin regulating lead use in household plumbing and an additional 50 years in 1986 with the passing of Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments, to ban further implementation of any lead material in water systems (Brown).
