Toxicology and Societies Speaker Series - Siddhartha Roy

Title: Were There Excess Fetal Deaths From Waterborne Lead Exposure During the Flint Water Crisis?

The city of Flint, Michigan witnessed elevated water lead (Pb) levels during the Flint Water Crisis (April 2014-October 2015) a source water switch, and some media reporting has claimed the exposures caused excess fetal deaths. In this research talk, I will describe our research attempting to estimate if that is true. Specifically, we used a well-established biokinetic model to predict maternal blood lead levels and excess miscarriage rates due to water lead levels seen during the crisis. For context, miscarriage rates are also calculated for water lead levels during the 2000-04 Washington DC lead in drinking water crisis and 19th century lead abortifacient pills. Finally, we reviewed stillbirth and total fertility rates in Flint and a control city.

About the Speaker: Dr. Siddhartha Roy, Virginia Tech

 Dr. Siddhartha Roy is an environmental engineer and research scientist at Virginia Tech, where he conducts research at the intersection of drinking water, public health, and environmental justice.  Learn more about Dr. Roy at his Ted Talk profile. 

Registration for this free is closed, but a recording of the presentation is available here on the WWU Alumni website.

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