When you’re faced with a crisis in which you’ve contaminated a city’s tap water with a slow-accumulating toxin that affects the developing brains of children, how do you prove that you’ve resolved the issue? That’s right, you have have a 57-year-old-man drink it for a short period.
The Free Press reported that residents wanted Snyder to come to their homes and personally test their tap water before they risked drinking it themselves.
“Yes, if someone…I’m happy to look into that,” Snyder told reporters.
The governor, who has been called on to resign amid accusations that his administration was negligent in its response to the emergency, followed up on this promise on Monday.
After visiting a house with confirmed high levels of lead, the Associated Press reported, Snyder left with five gallons of filtered water that he pledged to drink for at least a month.
Snyder himself will drink it. For a month. And what was the problem again?
The World Health Organization has found that lead affects children’s brain development, resulting in reduced IQ and behavioral issues that could lead to criminal activity.
Whatever is wrong with Snyder’s brain, it probably happened long ago, so a few glasses of water over a few weeks isn’t going to make much difference. However, a few of the commentators on Synder’s Facebook page noted a slight difference between what Synder was doing and the real issue.
“Be sure to get enough and give it to your grandchildren!” one user wrote. “Continue to have Flint water delivered to them daily for a year or so and then talk about it!”
No, governor. Don’t do that.
“All Flint residents should continue to use bottled water, or Flint water passed through a lead filter, for cooking or drinking until further notice,” a Virginia Tech study concluded last week.