Who knew what when in Flint, Mich.?
Due to Flint, Michigan’s toxic water, 10 people have died of Legionnaire’s Disease and thousands of children have been exposed to levels of lead that can cause irreversible brain damage. This tragic situation has led to nationwide outrage and the cry “Who knew what when?”
That cry is familiar to those concerned about the health impacts of climate change. As in Flint, these effects take their greatest toll on the vulnerable and poor, especially children. Also, as in Flint, where a pediatrician tried to bring attention to the high lead levels, physicians’ voices are sounding the alarm about climate change. Those voices can be heard in the Pediatrics magazine, Physician magazine, New England Journal of Medicine, and JAMA, to name a few. These physicians acknowledge their ethical duty to speak about the health threats of climate change.
Joining the children from Flint facing a lifetime of possible health impacts from lead poisoning are and will continue to be the children with asthma who struggle to breathe air that is becoming more and more polluted. Incidence of childhood asthma has risen and will only get higher. Also in that group will be the children who have been displaced by either extreme weather events or the violence, war and terrorism that arise from combat over scarce resources. There will be the children doomed to die of diarrheal disease because of the proliferation of climate-sensitive organisms, and, finally, children going hungry because of drought and the impact of heat on the food supply.
The disastrous decision that led to using the Flint River for public water was based on short-sighted economic considerations. Many tout economic concerns when it comes to reducing greenhouse gases. However, an independent study sponsored by the Citizens’ Climate Lobby has shown that charging a fee on carbon pollution and returning that fee to the public will actually have positive economic impact. This proposal is built on the idea that the price of fossil fuels should reflect their actual cost, including the huge toll on health. Given an effective way to work on ensuring the health and safety of our children, isn’t it our ethical duty to do so? Or shall we hear their voices saying “Who knew what when and what did you do about it?”
NANCY BROWN
Bella Vista
Drivers do it all, except for turn signals
An observation I have made pertaining to drivers: They can text, talk on the phone, light up cigarettes, change CDs, adjust the A/C or heat, apply makeup, eat meals, comb or brush their hair, change radio stations and any number of other things, all while driving.
However, 98 percent of drivers have not discovered the turn signal or they don’t know what it is for.
About 11/2 percent use it after a turn or lane change has been all but completed, or the instant before the lane change or desired turn off is made.
The manufacturing and installation of this device in the vehicle came at a cost. So why not use it and use it correctly?
THOMAS O. HOFFMAN
Bella Vista