The US media announced that Michigan State has agreed to pay a settlement of 600 million dollars to the victims who suffered due to the Flint water crisis.

According to reports, the majority of the payment will be given to the city's children exposed to the water.

The Crisis

Twelve people have died after Flint changed its supply in favor of the Flint River last 2014.

The switch caused Legionnaires' disease in many, and almost 100,000 people were exposed to contaminated water with no access to safe drinking tap.

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The Settlement

The formal announcement of Michigan's agreement is expected to occur later in the week, according to media outlets the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. They cited sources who are familiar with the case. However, no official announcement has come from the state government as of the present.

According to the US media, everyone who resided in the Flint area from 2014 to 2016 may be qualified to accept settlement money. Nonetheless, nearly 80% of this fund, as stated previously, will be given to individuals who were aged below 18 during that time.

According to experts, children are especially vulnerable to poisoning from lead, specifically infants and children below five years old. They are susceptible to brain damage because their brains have not yet been fully developed.

According to statistics, one out of three kids is exposed to contamination from lead all over the world.

The city of Flint's majority of residents is African-Americans. Forty percent of its inhabitants are living are poor.

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How and Why it Happened

The year was 2014 when Flint stopped getting its water supply from the system in Detroit, which has Lake Huron as its source of water. Instead, it shifted to using Flint River for its water source.

The reason for the switch was Flint City's state of financial emergency, as they intended it to save millions of dollars for the government. Unfortunately, the river's water was corrosive, even more so than Lake Huron. Furthermore, it was not adequately treated, which caused lead leaching in the pipes. Lead is known to be a potent neurotoxin.

The residents began to notice how their tap water will sometimes be a yellow or blue color. A lot of people started losing hair and developing rashes on their faces and arms.

For more than a year, however, the local leaders and officials continued to say that nothing was amiss, even if city residents have complained about how tap water had an unusual appearance and taste.

The city now shifted back to relying on the water system of Detroit. Still, a lot of locals use bottled water for cooking, washing, and drinking. They say the government has lost their trust.

The Lawsuit

The thousands filed lawsuits against Michigan. According to reports, the current settlement will resolve those claims filed against the state and not private companies or individuals, such as past governor Rick Snyder.

Last 2019, prosecutors dropped the criminal charges filed against local officials. They say the matter still needs more investigation.

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