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flint, michigan after water crisis

2/8/2019

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The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful with easy to obtain materials.
 
There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout. 
 
A 5-Star Customer Review of Chemistry on a Budget at amazon.com states:

“[S]traight forward, to the point, using household chemicals… this is the lab book for you. 
I teach high school chemistry and this is exactly what I was looking for. Labs included simple household chemicals that could be easily found. Nice format, easy to follow along procedures, and touches on every topic of our chemistry curriculum.”
 
You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. It will take 1-2 weeks to get to you -- Order Now.  It’s a great resource!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html
 
*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
“Governor Gretchen Whitmer [of Michigan] plans to restructure the state environmental agency that drew criticism for its handling of the Flint water crisis under former Governor Rick Snyder, The Associated Press has learned.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will become the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. The agency will house new public advocacy offices for clean water and ‘environmental justice’ to help ensure fair consideration of low-income and minority community interests, according to officials who briefed the AP ahead of an announcement scheduled for Monday. …

The environmental quality department came under fire after overseeing Flint’s ill-fated switch of drinking water sources in 2014. The city, under supervision of a financial manager appointed by Republican Snyder, stopped buying treated water from Detroit and began drawing from the Flint River, which was a move intended to save money while a new pipeline from Lake Huron was built.

Investigators later determined that DEQ officials misread federal guidelines and did not require use of corrosion-control additives. The river water gnawed away lead from pipes, joints and fixtures that contaminated drinking water in the majority-black city of 100,000, where in 2015 children were found to have elevated levels of the toxin in their blood.”
https://www.wsjm.com/2019/02/04/michigan-governor-revamping-deq-after-flint-water-crisis/
 
”The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will become the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. The agency will house new public advocacy offices for clean water and ‘environmental justice’ to help ensure fair consideration of low-income and minority community interests…”
https://detroit.cbslocal.com/2019/02/04/whitmer-revamps-medq-after-flint-water-crisis/#done
 
“The environmental quality department came under fire after overseeing Flint's ill-fated switch of drinking water sources in 2014. The city was under supervision of a financial manager appointed by Snyder … when it stopped buying treated water from Detroit and began drawing from the Flint River. The move intended to save money while a new pipeline from Lake Huron was built.

Investigators later determined that Department of Environmental Quality officials misread federal guidelines and did not require use of corrosion-control additives. The river water gnawed away lead from pipes, joints and fixtures that contaminated drinking water in the majority-black city of 100,000 people. In 2015, local children were found to have elevated levels of the toxin in their blood.

The department's director and top spokesman resigned, while criminal charges were filed against several other officials. …
Guy O. Williams, president & CEO of Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, praised the moves as reflecting an understanding that ‘all Michigan citizens, regardless of race, income or zip code, should have clean air to breathe and safe water to drink.’ “
https://www.gazettextra.com/news/nation_world/michigan-governor-revamps-environmental-agency-after-flint/article_ad995e3e-87c1-5b88-9f5b-262d738ee9df.html#done
 
“The plan doesn’t change the environmental department’s core functions, such as issuing permits for air and water pollution and monitoring compliance. …Another emerging threat to Michigan’s water quality: the discovery of toxic chemicals known as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, at dozens of locations around the state. Under Snyder, the DEQ [formerly the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality] and an interagency task force conducted statewide testing of drinking water sources and initiated cleanups at highly contaminated sites.”
https://apnews.com/e62fb840a14e4f8aa0bf7824666ff4b5
 
“Whitmer signed a separate order making the group a permanent fixture in the new department and assigning it to coordinate Michigan's PFAS actions, including continued searches for contaminated water supplies, informing the public and recommending new laws.

The department will consider a tougher standard for initiating cleanup action than the current threshold of 70 parts per trillion that is recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Clark said.

Additionally, the department will have a new office on climate policy that will seek ways to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and promote renewable energy while helping Michigan adjust to a warmer world.”
https://www.kansas.com/news/business/article225496085.html
 
Past blog posts about Flint, Michigan include:
10/08/2015     Current Event - Contaminated Drinking Water
                          [Flint, MI]
​12/17/2015     Current Event -- Lead Poisoning [Flint,MI]
12/23/2016​     Criminal Charges in Flint, Michigan
 
You may want to consult or collaborate with Social Studies teachers in your school about this series of events.
 
*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom.  Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
 
Also, Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
 
Remember, buying a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget can be very useful to your Chemistry classroom with labs and class article ideas.

Have a great weekend!

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    Marjorie R. Heesemann is a chemistry teacher with 15 years of experience who is now working to develop resources for the Chemistry classroom.

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