Flint All Over Again? Lead Poisoning Scandal Strikes Ohio Town
Flint All Over Again? Lead Poisoning Scandal Strikes Ohio Town
State Environmental Protection Agency has asked the U.S. EPA to open a criminal investigation into what occurred in Sebring
?itok=eyAY5-Rr
Schools in Sebring have been closed for three days, as more tests are being done on their tap water. (Photo: timlewisnm/flickr/cc)
Schools in Sebring, Ohio were closed for a third day on Tuesday and pregnant women and children have been advised not to drink the water, after tests showed elevated levels of lead in the local water supply. Though the village of about 4,300 in northeastern Ohio is much smaller than Flint, Michigan, the drinking water crises in the neighboring states share troubling aspects.
According to local news station WKBN: "Correspondence from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Village of Sebring show concerns with water testing, beginning in late September. Elevated lead levels were noted by the EPA in November, but customers didn’t learn of the issues until Thursday, meaning that some people could have been drinking water containing lead for months." WKBN has a full timeline of events here.
Scores of Sebring residents turned out for a village council meeting on Monday night, "many frustrated, angry or looking for answers," reports FOX8 Cleveland. "A lot of us have kids at home, and we’re extremely afraid, and we need a mayor to stand up, be honest with us, hold people accountable and fix this problem," said one man in attendance.
Meanwhile, the Youngstown Vindicator reports that Village Manager Richard Giroux has placed (pdf) Sebring water treatment plant superintendent Jim Bates on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a state investigation into the incident.
. . . .
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/01/26/flint-all-over-again-lead-poisoning-scandal-strikes-ohio-town
= new reply since forum marked as read
