Flint, Mich. (AP) — Thousands of children in Flint (click here) are set to receive additional money for nutritional foods that can limit the effects of lead exposure, though families who recently left the Michigan city because of the lead-tainted water crisis won't be eligible.
About $7 million in aid is going to about 15,000 children who qualify for food assistance, meaning qualifying families will receive a one-time payment of $420 per child to be used throughout the year. The funding is in addition to the $30 per child families got in March, the Detroit Free Press (http://on.freep.com/2r93CWh ) reported.
The city switched to untreated Flint River water as its drinking-water source in a money-saving effort in 2014, while under state management. But the move resulted in lead being leached from pipes into the water supply. Flint returned to Detroit's water system in 2015.
To qualify for the new food assistance, residents must have lived in a ZIP code identified as being served by the city's water system on Feb. 28, and still live in an eligible ZIP code as of April 1. Families who left the city because of the water to escape the lead won't be eligible, regardless of whether their children suffer health effects....
That is outrageous. Flint is a closed community? No one can move out and no one can come in? That is bizarre. I am confident the children who have left Flint that are effected can be found and provided for in a meaningful way. I think Michigan needs to continue to administer the funds, but, there is no reason why the monies cannot follow the child.
Lawsuit!
So what is so special about food and lead.
Lead stays in the body for different periods of time, depending on where it is. Half of the lead in the blood will be excreted in 25 days (this is called the "half-life"). In soft tissues, it takes 40 days for half of the lead to be excreted. In bones and teeth it takes much longer, up to 10 years or longer.
Since lead is stored in the body, a person can get poisoned from exposure to just small amounts of lead over a long period of time (chronic exposure). You do not need to get exposed to just large doses of lead to be poisoned (acute exposure). It can take months or years for the body to get rid of lead. A person will continue to be exposed to lead internally even after the actual exposure to lead stops....
Basically, increasing the body's ability to build a healthy body through good nutrition, will increase the chances of healthy tissue over a more unhealthy chance.
Lead replaced iron in the children drinking the leaded water. There is permanent damage because lead can effect hemoglobin and deprive body tissue of oxygen. There are places in the body where lead has permanently become a part of the cell structure.
Information provided by the American Dietetic Association: Your Link to Nutrition & Health
When you think of ways to build strong and healthy bones, most people immediately mention calcium. However, new research indicates that iron might also make a difference in your bone health.
A recent study at the University of Arizona and University of Arkansas found that postmenopausal women who consumed at least 18 milligrams of iron a day had the greatest bone mineral density levels.
The role of iron in bone density may be linked to its role in the production of collagen, a key component of our bones. Good sources of dietary iron include beef, poultry, fish and beans.
Researchers also found that iron's benefits may be tied to calcium consumption in the range of 800 to 1,200 milligrams per day. It appears that a balanced intake of iron and calcium has the best benefit in terms of bone health.
Iron and calcium are among other important nutrients for healthy bones so be sure to include a variety of foods from the Food Guide Pyramid every day.
There are some permanently damaged tissues with the children from Flint. By increasing the good nutrition the body has it's best chance to build a body that can achieve optimal wellness for the challenge these children face.
Why take chances that will complicate their ability to be well?
ALL the children from Flint, regardless of where they and their parents reside now, should be receiving this nutritional subsidy. Honestly! All these children should be followed through their pediatricians and parents as much as is possible.
Follow the 2015 Dietary Guidelines (click here) to include a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, protein foods and dairy products. When there is healthy food in the body, it is more difficult for lead to be absorbed. Make sure your diet is rich in important nutrients such as calcium, iron and vitamin C....
Follow the 2015 Dietary Guidelines (click here) to include a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, protein foods and dairy products. When there is healthy food in the body, it is more difficult for lead to be absorbed. Make sure your diet is rich in important nutrients such as calcium, iron and vitamin C....
These children will become adults. Handicapped individuals have a different quality of life which means increased costs for health care and wellness. What are going to be their outcomes as adults? Will they do well and carry on a normal life or will they be effected and find life such a challenge they can never achieve a normal quality of life? It is the obligation of the State ,Governor Snyder and all other contributing government and private organizations to be sure these youngsters have the chance they need.
