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Michigan official suggested gaming water tests to 'bump out' lead results
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of The Guardian (One of the UK's leading newspapers)


The Guardian (One of the UK's leading newspapers), April 27, 2016
Posted: May 16th, 2016
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/27/michigan-empl...

A Michigan environmental official suggested a technician collecting samples for a suburban Detroit private water system bump ... out a test result that found very high levels of lead by testing more homes, according to a 2008 email. Doing so could avert a lead public notice, the email reasoned, which would alert residents of dangerously high levels in their water. Ive never heard (it) more black and white, said Marc Edwards, a ... lead expert who helped uncover the Flint water crisis. It just shows that this culture of corruption and unethical, uncaring behavior predated Flint by at least six years. In early September 2008, a water laboratory technician collected samples from five of the nearly 45 homes in the [private water system]. The technician submitted the samples to the Michigan department of environmental quality. Of the five samples, one home registered a lead level of 115 parts per billion (ppb), nearly 10 times higher than the federal action level of 15ppb. Adam Rosenthal, an MDEQ environmental quality analyst, sent an email to the technician. He copied Mike Prysby, the state employee who was criminally charged last week for his role in the city of Flints two-year lead contamination crisis, along with state employee Stephen Busch. I just saw the results 115 ppb for lead is a bit high, Rosenthal wrote in the email. There is still time to collect more samples and possibly bump this one out. Experts said the email shows MDEQs Rosenthal was explicitly attempting to subvert the lead and copper rule.

Note: Another recent Guardian article further describes how US authorities systematically distort water quality tests. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles on government corruption and health.


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