“It couldn’t happen where I live.” Many in the United States probably thought that when watching the horror occurring in Flint, Michigan, from 2014 to 2016. At that time, Flint residents — and the public at large — were “officially” made aware that there was something wrong with the water coming out of Flint faucets and showerheads — “officially” only because the same Flint residents already knew there was something wrong and had been saying so for quite some time. Discolored water that tasted bad was coming out of their taps. Showers that, instead of cleaning, were causing rashes to develop. The cause was increased lead (Pb) levels in the water. Everyday hero, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, chronicled well her horror in realizing the changed water source was leaching lead from the piping distribution systems in the city. Lead is especially harmful to children both within and without the womb — it can impair their cognitive development permanently, leading them to be disabled their entire lives. It also is likely that lead contact can weaken the immune system.
Then, sometime after the lead exposure, some people started getting even sicker. Really sick. The cause: Legionella pneumophila, a naturally forming bacterium that lives in the water. If you were to drink it, you’d be fine. Nothing would happen if it were to come in contact with your skin. No issues would develop if you got water with Legionella pneumophila in your eyes or ears. The issue comes if the bacteria become aerosolized, via a faucet or shower, and a person with a compromised immune system (like those who were exposed to lead) was to breathe in these water droplets. At this point, the bacteria, which thrive at temperatures from 80° F to 120° F, could grow rapidly in the lung aioli, causing severe fever and pneumonia. This is known as Legionnaire's disease. Somewhere between 10% to 25% of people who contract these bacteria die. Those who survive often have conditions that plague them for months, years or even lead to further complications that ultimately kill them. The number of Legionnaire’s disease cases continues to increase year after year, for a number of reasons — misdiagnosis, plumbing design and construction, water conservation and water overuse, etc. In 2015, there were 6,079 cases. By 2018, the number had risen to 9,933 cases. And now this terrible disease began to strike the people in Flint.