Roughly 1,700 residents in Flint, Michigan are moving forward with plans to sue the EPA over the water crisis that occurred not long ago. The residents are arguing that the EPA was negligent in mismanaging the situation and that because of their actions, thousands of children and others were exposed to potential lead poisoning.

They are also seeking class action status for their asserted claims.

The lawsuit has already been filed in the U.S. District Court in Michigan and the residents are saying that the EPA failed to notify residents of the dangers that were posed by the toxic water and they didn't take the right steps that were necessary in order to ensure whether or not that state and local authorities were efficiently addressing the matter.

They're calling for at least $722.4 million in health and property damages.

The lawsuit argues that there were major failures from all levels of government, in their supposed effort to try and protect the health and safety of the public; their actions did the opposite. When the crisis first occurred back in 2015, alarming amounts of lead were found in blood samples of many children from the Flint, Michigan area.

Lead poisoning is credited with stunting cognitive development, among other potential issues, and no level of it is considered safe to ingest, according to experts.

Former Michigan officials, about 13 of them, have also already been charged with conspiring to try and violate safety rules. The negligence from government officials involved in the incident, is going to have a long-lasting impact on the health of the children from that area for many years to come.

There are even some families in the area who still insist on only using bottled water, simply because they don't trust the local supply or the claims regarding its safety; they've been wrong before. And it's claimed that many of those children who are now suffering from a number of issues that were allegedly connected to the water event, will be followed for 10-20 years into the future, in order to assess their progress and analyze the possible impacts that the lead poisoning might have on their health.

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Sources:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/midwest/ct-flint-water-crisis-damages-20170131-story.html
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/flint-lead-poisoning-drug-2700-percent/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-michigan-water-idUSKBN15F2IG?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/31/health/iyw-flint-water-crisis-two-years-later/