Do no harm. These words are quite familiar to most physicians because often times it is recited during medical school graduations. The phrase is to set the framework of the future practice of medicine and be the basic creed of our work. In every decision, in every procedure, in every recommendation, we are to ask ourselves, “Will this be more harmful than beneficial?” With that in mind, don’t you wish the governmental officials in Flint, Michigan had asked themselves that very question?
In a capitalistic society as ours, too often the bottom line is always about money and not about the very lives of the people for whom we are charged to serve. Yet, we dare to declare on our money, “In God we trust.”
Which God is that?
The God I know teaches to consider the least of these. The very people that needed protection the most in Flint, the poor, were treated the worst!
So the water in Flint isn’t fresh spring water. What’s the big deal? Beyond the fact that the citizens of Flint were told that the water from the river was just as safe as their previous source of water, but to then say that boiling the water would also be a safe alternative seems so sinister to me. Not to mention these very citizens were paying their hard-earned money to receive substandard water. Makes you wonder would this same scenario have occurred in Rochester Hills, Michigan where the average income is $124,944 compared to an average income of $27,049 in Flint.
Lead toxicity can result in serious health conditions, particularly in children, affecting their mental and physical development. Lead levels accumulate over months and years. Extremely high levels of lead can be fatal.
Early on, lead poisoning may be hard to detect due to an absence of symptoms. However, as the levels rise, children may exhibit behavior and learning difficulties. Other symptoms include, sluggishness, weight loss, vomiting, constipation and hearing loss. Sadly, babies exposed before birth cannot only have learning difficulties but also slowed growth.
But this type of environmental fiasco is not limited to lead toxicity nor is it limited to Flint, Michigan. Remember the Erin Brockovich story? Similar in many ways but instead involved a large utility giant, Pacific Gas and Electric, lying to consumers in Hinkley, California about the Chromium 6 that was being dumped into their drinking water. Erin Brockovich was a file clerk in a law office who accidentally came across some files which prompted her to begin an investigation that eventually led to one of the largest medical settlement lawsuits in history.
Dishonesty to fellow citizens isn’t limited to rogue nations as we are led to believe if we watch enough television. Our country unfortunately, has a very tainted past of its own when it comes to how we treat our poor and disenfranchised. It sickens me to think I live in a place of such great resources yet so little ethical values. We must not sit idly by and watch our very own citizens be poisoned over the sake of earning or saving a dollar!
Your family doctor,
Denise Hooks Anderson, M.D.
Assistant Professor
SLUCare Family Medicine
yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com
