On Sept. 25, 2015, I received a call from my colleague – the now-renowned Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha – asking if I could run some basic spatial analysis of blood lead data collected from area pediatric clinics. I had heard rumblings that blood lead levels were on the rise in Flint but that state officials were pushing back against her findings.
My job was to examine blood lead data from our local Hurley Children’s Hospital in Flint for spatial patterns, or neighborhood-level clusters of elevated levels, so we could quash the doubts of state officials and confirm our concerns. Unbeknownst to me, this research project would ultimately help blow the lid off the water crisis, vindicating months of activism and outcry by dedicated Flint residents.....continued ...