Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor discusses lead pipes in Flint

Professor Shawn McElmurry was quoted in the Detroit Free Press regarding the city of Flint's lead pipes:

"As researchers and doctors help residents navigate the years ahead, they will gather information from medical exams, cord blood testing of newborns, a review of low-weight births and miscarriages, results of water testing and geo-mapping of the hardest-hit areas. And that, in turn, will guide future public health efforts.

"What has happened in Flint is very, very unusual. They have essentially conducted an uncontrolled experiment, in that they corroded the heck out of these ... lead pipes," said Wayne State University lead expert Shawn McElmurry, who last weekend was in Flint testing water in homes just 48 hours after the city switched back to Detroit water.

Secondary to helping Flint's residents, Flint's crisis can offer important lessons to other cities relying on aging infrastructure, he said.

Testing over the coming years will offer insight into how well "the infrastructure recovers.""

Read full article here:
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/10/24/flint-lead-exposure-help-water-attisha/74383010/

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