Careers in Pharmacy

Have you thought about becoming a pharmacist? Here are some facts you may or may not know:

There are different kinds of pharmacists, including....

Academic Pharmacists - These are instructors in the field of Pharmacy Science.

Armed Services - These are people serving in the military as pharmacists, who may work with injured or ill servicemen and women, or may work on research of biological terrorism.

Industry - These are pharmacists who are sales reps for drug manufacturers. They usually travel to clinics and hospitals to let them know of new products available to treat their patients. If your doctor has ever given you a sample of a drug to try, it most likely came from a pharmacy sales rep.

Science/Research Pharmacists - these are the people who develop new drugs, including finding drugs to target a specific condition and testing them to be sure they are safe, and what side effects they produce.

The most common kind of pharmacist, however, is called a Community Pharmacist, because he or she works right in your community at local drug stores and the pharmacy department of stores like Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Cub, etc. and may also work within a hospital.

Coursework to become a pharmacist will include biology, chemistry, anatomy & physiology, biochemistry, ethics, physics, natural science, math, and business administration, as well as social sciences and humanities.

All pharmacists (they are called 'chemists' in the United Kingdom) must complete a Pharm.D., or Doctor of Pharmacy, degree. This includes two years or more of undergraduate work plus another 4 years of professional pharmacy study. Before you can start work as a pharmacist, frequently you will complete an internship for 1 or 2 years, although it is not always required. You must pass the NAPLEX test, which certifies that you are capable to be a pharmacist and tests your scientific knowledge, and the MPJE, which certifies that you know the legal aspects of being a pharmacist.  You must pass these two exams before you become certified.

What kind of pharmacist do you want to be? Do you want to do research? Sales? Work in the Armed Forces? Do you want to work with pure science or with people?

You may want to find a career with the United States Food and Drug Administration, the FDA. The FDA regulates food safety and also medicine-related things like over the counter (sometimes called OTC) drugs for humans and animals; medical devices including pacemakers and insulin pumps; machines that use radiation; cosmetics; tobacco products, and dental treatments. As a pharmacist, the items you sell or dispense will have to meet FDA standards. Read more about the FDA here: https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-basics/what-does-fda-regulate


A successful pharmacist working in local drug stores has been entrusted with a highly responsible role. He or she will enjoy working with people, from doctors and nurses to patients who have come in to consult or have a prescription filled. A pharmacist must 'catch' a situation where a drug has been prescribed that won't work with, or may be harmful, when taken with a patient's other prescriptions, or when a patient is allergic to a particular medication.


Since new medications are being developed all the time, you need to stay updated constantly on these new drugs and how they work. You will likely have continuing education throughout your career.

You need to be comfortable with technology and business practices, and be aware that you may work any shift in a pharmacy that is open 24 hours a day. You will also be interacting with Pharmacy Technicians who assist you in running the pharmacy, as well as security (keeping all medications under lock and key-safeguarding against theft), awareness of drug abuse and fraud, planning your supplies so as to not run out of stocked medications as well as making sure they are being stored properly, and emergency situations.


Have you heard about drug companies (all of them together sometimes are called "Big Pharma") overpricing drugs we use? Read more about that here: https://www.investors.com/news/technology/drug-prices-what-we-know-about-rising-prescription-prices/

Since you will be more available than many doctors, patients will often ask you about a drug or a treatment; you have to retain a vast amount of information on many different drugs and how they work. On a given day, you may be asked questions about diabetes, wound care, depression medications, cold relief, acid reflux, vitamins, or high blood pressure.

Meds for pets are often filled at "people'" pharmacies 

If you are highly interested in chemistry and biology, how the body reacts to drug treatments, and the well-being of people as a whole, and if you take an interest in people who come to you for information about their prescriptions, you might make a great pharmacist.

Here is a website that answers lots of questions you might have: http://www.aacp.org/resources/studentaffairspersonnel/admissionsguidelines/Documents/studentbrochure2.pdf

Who Is That?

You know who this is...

And this....



But do you know these people??? What changes have they made in the world?

1.   

2.

 3.    

4.

5.

   6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.  

   12.

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1.  Sonia Sotomayor, the first person of Hispanic descent to serve as an Associate Justice (judge) on the United States Supreme Court and the third female Associate Justice. She is originally from New York. The other 2 women are Elena Kagan and Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

2.  Malala Yousefzi. At the age of 14, she was the youngest person to ever win a Nobel Prize. She is outspoken about women's rights, particularly focusing on education. She was shot in the head for being so outspoken, survived, and continues to speak out for womens' rights.

Read about her: Triogenius, 1-6-2014: The Rebel.

3. Greta Thunberg. She is a climate-change activist from Sweden and is not quite 16 years old. She began her call for climate awareness by protesting outside the Swedish Parliament building. She travels the world to spread support for protecting the world's climate. She also is autistic, and calls that her 'superpower'. 

Are you interested in learning about young people that have influenced our lives? Check this out: http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/photos/8-amazing-kids-who-have-changed-the-world/get-ready

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4. Nelson Mandela. He is a South African man who spoke out against apartheid, and spent 27 years of his life in prison. Read about him here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela

5. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft,, which provides many basic computer programs we all use or have used . Read about him at Triogenius, 9-1-2014. 

6. Rosa Parks, considered a pioneer in the Civil Rights Movement, refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man in 1955, and was arrested. This is a picture of her being fingerprinted, and yes, she was actually arrested over a dispute about a seat on a bus. Her case was heard in court and eventually, the court found in her favor.  Read more about Rosa here:  http://www.rosaparks.org/biography/

7.  Mother Theresa, a highly regarded nun who was born in Albania and served in Calcutta, India, the founder of the Missions of Charity, serving the poorest people of the country and those suffering from AIDs, leprosy, and other diseases. She also was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

8.  Stephen Hawking. Hawking was a physicist who studied things like how the universe began, black holes, and time: He wrote a book, "A Brief History of Time." He suffered from motor neuron disease, which eventually robbed him of the ability to speak as you and I do, but communicated using a computer*..  He died in 2018 at the age of 76.

*learn about the person who developed this sort of computer..beginning when she was 12 years old--Rachel Zimmerman:  http://women-inventors.com/Rachel-Zimmerman.asp

9.  Sally Ride, the first female astronaut in the U.S. Ms. Ride was born in 1951. She was the first American woman in space, flying twice on the space shuttle Challenger and spending over 14 days in space. . She was the youngest person at age 32 to orbit the Earth. After she retired from NASA, she was a physics professor. Ms. Ride died in 2012.

10. Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin. He did research on the staphylococcus germ, watching how it grew and behaved when invading healthy cells. He planned to go on a holiday and stacked his samples in a pile, and when he returned he noticed there was some other kind of mold in some of the staph samples that was consuming and destroying it. His remark was, "That's funny.." Penicillin in many forms is still used as the first antibiotic to fight infections. Fleming lived from 1881 to 1955. He was born in Scotland and lived in England.

11.  Jane Goodall, born 1934. She is an Englishwoman who has devoted her life to the study of chimpanzees, living among them and discovering that they use tools, for one thing. Ms. Goodall still advocates for protection of chimpanzees as well as  promoting the saving of the environment,especially that of endangered species. Did you know that her notes and records were first digitized by the University of Minnesota? Here is more on her life:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall

12. Martin Cooper, the inventor of the cell phone (an early prototype is pictured). He worked for Motorola. The first cell phone conversation was Cooper calling a friend while standing on the streets of New York City.

Now you know some important people...

Think of more that you can explore:

• Who invented something you use every day, and when did that happen?
• Who has achieved great success, and how did he or she do it?
• Who would be a role model for you?
• Who rose from humble beginnings to accomplish great things?

Microblog: Careers with Minnesota Companies: Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic, the #1 hospital in the world, sees over 1 million patients every year from all 50 states and over 150 countries. It began after William Mayo started his practice of medicine in 1864. His sons grew up and became physicians also, and began what is now the Mayo Clinic, a huge campus of buildings that see many different medical issues and also houses the Mayo College of Medicine. Some history: http://history.mayoclinic.org/stories.php#video-container

 

The unique thing about this giant medical center is that, when you are seen, all the specialists you might need are in this one place and you will likely see them all in the same day. Your test results will be processed immediately so that you  get your diagnosis quickly and can make a plan for treatment with your doctors. It is a collaborative and cooperative treatment center where top-quality doctors consider themselves colleagues and partners, working together to solve medical problems for the good of the patient. The 4500+ physicians are paid a salary, not by how many patients they see; this was the plan of the Mayo Brothers from the start. Anyone can be seen at Mayo, usually without a referral.

                                                                     Charles and William Mayo

 

While the location of the first Mayo Clinic- Rochester, Minnesota-is still its primary location, working with St Mary's Hospital and Methodist Hospital in Rochester, Mayo also has locations in Florida and Arizona.

 

Mayo is also a health care system with clinics located throughout southern Minnesota.


Mayo offers medical and graduate school:  http://www.mayo.edu/education/?_ga=1.17297274.272890092.1444934606


Here is their main website:   http://www.mayoclinic.org/




Employment at Mayo covers everything from building maintenance to specialists in dozens of types of practice. Here is a link to Human Resources at Mayo: http://www.mayoclinic.org/jobs


Examples of openings (besides physicians) currently available:

• Research
• Surgical Tech
• Home Health Care
• Personal Care Assistant
• Physician's Assistant/Nurse Practitioner
• Lab Assistant
• Housekeeping
• Dialysis Tech
• Pharmacy Technician
• Pharmacist
• Physical and Occupational Therapists
• Information Technologists
• RNs in many specialties, such as Cardiology, Pediatrics, Oncology, Psychiatry
• Transplant Specialists

If you want to work for one of the most-admired medical systems in the world, Mayo could be your employer. Check them out!

Marie Curie

If you've heard of Marie Curie, you probably think: Radiation. Scientist. France. That's maybe all you know. But her story is much more than that.

'Marie' was born Maria Sklodowska in Poland November 7, 1867, to parents who were both teachers. Her father taught math and physics, and her mother ran a boarding house/school until Maria was born. While never wealthy, her father found it hard to get a job when he supported the Polish rebellion to free them from Russian rule. Maria's mother died when Maria was only 10.


Her father brought home experiments for her and her siblings to try out, and taught them as his own students. When she finished her basic schooling, Maria found she was not allowed to attend college in Poland because she was a woman.

One option was the 'Flying University' or 'Floating University,' a sort of underground school for women to learn the same as men. She and her sister Bronislawa took courses there, and then decided that since a woman could study alongside men in Paris, that first Bronislawa would go while Maria supported her, and then Maria would go while her sister supported her. To earn money, Maria took jobs as a governess. In one home, while she took care of the younger children, there was a grown son named Kaczmeirz with whom she fell in love. However, his parents didn't approve of him marrying a penniless woman (meaning, her father was poor), and so sadly they had to break up. Ironically, her sister Bronislawa fell in love with another man also named Kaczmeirz and did marry him.

                                                                Maria on the left, Bronislawa on the right, 1886. Maria is 21.
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It wasn't until 1891 that Maria left Poland for France (at age 26)
to finish her college degree at The Sorbonne in Paris. She barely had enough to get by and almost starved in the process, but she persevered, being interested in the qualities of magnetism. She met Pierre Curie, a French man who taught physics there. They were married in 1895. She wanted to return to Poland to teach, and Pierre declared he loved her so much, he would stop what he was working on and move to Poland with her; but when she realized she wouldn't be allowed to teach, she decided to remain in Paris, and she became a French citizen, then going by 'Marie.' She and Pierre had two daughters, Eve and Irene.


In 1903, Marie became the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her study of radiation. That prize was shared with her husband Pierre and Henri Bequerel. Pierre died in 1906. He was run over by a horse and carriage. In 1911, Marie once again won a Nobel Prize for her work in chemistry. This made her the first person, and the only woman, to win twice. In her acceptance speech, she noted that she felt she shared the award with Pierre. As an adult, their daughter Irene would also study radioactivity and would also be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.

From NobelPeacePrize.org, a description of what Marie studied:
Marie Curie studied the radiation of all compounds containing the known radioactive elements, including uranium and thorium, which she later discovered was also radioactive. She also found out that:
- you can exactly measure the strength of the radiation from uranium;
- the intensity of the radiation is proportional to the amount of uranium or thorium in the compound - no matter what compound it is;
- the ability to emit radiation does not depend on the arrangement of the atoms in a molecule; it must be linked to the interior of the atom itself - a revolutionary discovery!
When she realized that some uranium and/or thorium compounds had stronger radiation than uranium, she made the following hypothesis: there must be an unknown element in the compound which had a stronger radiation than uranium or thorium. Her work aroused the interest of her husband, Pierre Curie, who stopped his own research on crystals and joined the "detective work" with his wife. And Marie was proven right: in 1898 the Curies discovered two new radioactive elements: radium (named after the Latin word for ray) and polonium (named after Marie's home country, Poland).  

                                 This watch with 'glow in the dark' hands was quite a novelty in its time. Did you ever have a toy that glowed in the dark?



The 'laboratory' Marie and Pierre used to study was nothing but a shed with bad ventilation. A proper lab wasn't built for them until 1906.


They were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for Physics in 1903, but declined to travel to Stockholm to accecpt it. The money from the prize helped fund their research going forward.


While another scientist, Roentgen, discovered X-rays, the Curies studied radium and discovered it could be used to create Xrays as well. It has some relation to phosphorescence, like in these fish:

During World War I, Marie Curie helped create and manage traveling X-ray trucks to help with the wounded. Initially, it was thought X-rays were completely harmless. While that is not true, and X-rays these days use a fraction of the substance that they used to, X-rays led to the development of radiation therapy to shrink tumors. Digital photography is also used now, for such applications as dental imaging. Without first knowing about X-rays, we would not have CT scans or MRIs to 'see' into the body to diagnose injuries and illnesses. The Curies' work also led to the concept of using sound waves to create images. One important use of Ultrasound is to diagnose and pinpoint heart disease.

Not dancing creatures, but a heart pumping.

While her work was recognized as very important, she still did not have the respect of her countrymen in France or in Poland. She was harshly criticized for an affair she had, and was 'accused' of being a Jewish terrorist, spy, and all manner of fabricated things, mostly because she was a woman. Marie died at age 66 of anemia due to such massive exposure to radiation: her books and personal items are placed in lead boxes and can only be handled if proper safety precautions  are followed. However, her contributions to science and medicine will improve lives forever.

3D Printers: Problem Solved?

Have you heard the term "3D Printer" and wondered what that was all about?

Here's a basic explanation:

The official term for this process is actually "Additive Manufacturing"  or "Rapid Prototyping," but the term 3D Printer seems to have stuck. It's called "Additive" because the process adds materials instead of subtracting, which is the case with a CNC machine. Those machines waste materials because they make the object but it will have to be trimmed.

A CNC machine:  "CNC" stands for Computer Numerical Control," which can involve milling, a lathe, or a grinder. Notice how large this machine is.


3D Printers make things in layers.They can use over 100 different materials , including plastic, metal (even titanium), nylon, and human tissue.  They have been used for over 30 years, but until recently were only used by businesses for commercial use and weren't available to everyone. They have become relatively inexpensive and easy to use so that some 'ordinary people' would be able to purchase one, and to understand the process of making things on these printers in our homes. Programs can be 'user-friendly' to make it possible for anyone to understand.

                                                   They could be helpful identifying or age-progressing images of missing people

 

A 3D printer can be very small or very large, depending on how large an item you want to create. You'll also need the materials to feed the machine. Then, you must have a computer program that 'understands' when you are telling it to make something. It's possible to use Microsoft Word when creating an object, but the computer needs to know what to do with your instructions. Once you have your concept of the object the way you want it, you send it to the 'printer' similar to when you send a document to your typical printer. The difference, of course, is that it isn't going to print on paper but rather manufacture what you sent to it using whatever materials your 'printer' is capable of. The printer 'understands' what the computer has instructed it to do.

 

Here's a great video that explains it further and shows some examples of what can be made using a 3D printer: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=video+clip+3d+printer&&view=detail&mid=46FDAAF0AA077E6A5ABE46FDAAF0AA077E6A5ABE&&FORM=VRDGAR

                                                           Smallest known 3D printer, about the size of a carton of milk.


These printers are currently available starting at about $100 and up. Some can use multiple materials, some only one. Some can use several colors in one production and others, only one. Producing your object can take an hour or several days, depending on how complex it is.


If you aren't one to design something from 'scratch,' you can scan an item and then have the computer 'read' how it is made, then make a copy, using the right software.

How is this useful?  3D printers can make:

• Manufacturer prototypes and models
• Toys
• Jewelry
• Shoes
• Artwork

• Glasses frames
• Parts for virtually anything from engines to dishwashers
• Human organs, using human tissue, especially using the person's own cells to avoid rejection
• Prosthetics: Artificial limbs, eyes, etc., braces, and possibly dentures
• Models for study by medical students
• Musical instruments

• Our military has used it to make unmanned drones
• In theory, you could make all the parts necessary to make another printer

 

Imagine being able to make that one part for a car or a replacement part for a broken appliance...especially if the part is hard to find..or plumbing pipes, or a thermostat, or a lock, just by firing up the 3D printer and sending a file to print.

Mattel's 'Thingmaker' first came out in the 1960s, but it's now a 3D printer...   https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=manufacturing+toys+3d+printer+thingmaker&&view=detail&mid=BEEB7FF30D6EAE52BD1EBEEB7FF30D6EAE52BD1E&&FORM=VRDGAR

If a child wants to connect his Legos to Lincoln Logs and you have a creative side, you could design some kind of adapter and print that out on your 3D printer.

                                                          Action figures made on a 3D printer-some assembly required?

                                A 3D-Printer made this model of a house---it would make a fun dollhouse, too.

• Innovative medical technology will let us use 3D printers for health purposes as well:

• Artificial outer ear with hearing aid, the ear is from human tissue.

•          This boy's dad made him an artificial hand for $10.

Here is a video of 3D printing a forearm plus hand: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=video+clip+3d+printer+making+a+prosthetic&&view=detail&mid=57B4920018E2378B87C557B4920018E2378B87C5&&FORM=VRDGAR

•  This person has made a car using 3D printing.
• With a 3D printer, you could make custom-fit clothing.
• There have even been houses built using 3D printers! https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=video+clip+3d+printer+making+a+house&&view=detail&mid=1783833157B525E2628C1783833157B525E2628C&&FORM=VRDGAR

If you don't have your own 3D printer, as long as you have the instructions in your file, you can upload it to an online service and have someone else 'print' it at a reasonable price and ship it to you. In the future, these 3D print shops may be seen at your local mall just like any other business.

And what about the future? What will 3D printers be used for in a few years?

• It is already being used for some airplane parts, and this will probably continue. These parts are lighter, making the plane more efficient to fly.
• In the health field, titanium bone implants, orthodontics, and artificial veins and arteries may be made using 3D printing
• 3D printers will probably be standard in schools from Kindergarten through college. They can be used to teach, creating models and copies to show students how things work
• There is some discussion whether it might be a good idea to send 3D printers to disaster sites so that needed items can be produced on-scene---especially for health care
• Items currently only available at museums could be copied, from historical clothing to animal bones, so that the 'cloned' exhibits can be brought around the country to people who can't travel to places such as the Smithsonian: http://www.3dprinter.net/3d-print-history-with-smithsonian-x-3d
• A discussion on how 3D printers could be used in the space program: http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenkotler/2013/10/21/the-future-is-here-how-3d-printing-is-opening-the-door-to-space-colonization/2/

What would you do with a 3D printer?

Job Description: Pharmacist

A Pharmacist does much more than just count out pills to put in prescription bottles.

 

A typical course of education for a pharmacist begins with a Bachelors Degree: 2 years of generals and then 2 years of classes such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy & Physiology, and pharmaceutical practices.


The doctorate degree includes education in laws involved with pharmacy practice, dosage, health management, and equipment used on the job. The schooling will then include a residency program lasting one to two years, similar to a medical doctor.


Education must take place at a school accredited by the Accreditation Council of Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE), and must pass the NAPLEX (Board certification exam) to obtain a license to practice as a pharmacist.

Here are some responsibilities of a pharmacist:

 

• Noting allergies:Does the patient have a reaction to a drug? What can be substituted?
• Filling prescriptions on a timely basis
• Knowledge of insurance coverage: there are many insurance companies to deal with, including people using Medicare or Medicaid or assistance with their prescriptions: What's covered, and the amount covered?
• Advising patients about their medications
• Staying up-do-date on new medications
• Being aware of any problems with medications such as recalls
• Knowledge of chronic illnesses and their medications, such as diabetes or heart disease

• Communicating with medical professionals such as doctors or nurse practitioners
• Knowing when two drugs cannot be taken together, catching that mistake, and suggesting a different combination, possibly to the physician
• Instructing patients how to take their medications: Does orange juice make it less powerful? Can you take it on an empty stomach, or not?
• Understanding how the drugs are going to work to combat a condition
• Warning patients of side effects
• Knowledge about over the counter  (not prescription) treatments

More details on the coursework:  http://study.com/pharmacist_education.html

 Here is a link to the University of MN's Pharmacy program:  https://www.pharmacy.umn.edu/
University of North Dakota:  https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/north-dakota-state-university-200332
University of Wisconsin-Madison  (scroll down)  https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/university-of-wisconsin-madison-240444

Traveling Nurse: Is it For You?

You may want to consider becoming a traveling nurse. These nurses register with a travel nurse agency, which then places them in jobs across the country. The positions are considered temporary, but may last anywhere from a few weeks to a year. As a traveling nurse, you would fill in for hospitals and other facilities when they have a shortage of nurses. This could be due to:

• Lack of applicants in their area
• Large numbers of nurses on vacation
• Nurses on maternity leave
• New facility that isn't fully staffed yet
• Nursing strikes
• Not enough Human Resources people to interview and hire nurses that are needed

Most agencies will want you to have a year of experience as a nurse. After that, you can register and be hired quickly.

 

Some facts about being a traveling nurse:

 

• Pay is excellent, commonly more than the average nurse's pay. This is because it is not a permanent position and requires you to move, even if temporarily, away from your home. It may be up to $48.00 an hour in some cases.
• Your housing, including furnishings, is paid for by your agency; you pay nothing for rent
• Travel to and from your temporary assignment is also paid for
• You do receive benefits from the agency who employs you, in many cases exactly like any other employer (medical, dental, 401K, etc)
• Licensure is something to be discussed with your agency; typically a nurse who has passed Boards is licensed only in the three or four states surrounding that nurse's home. Read more about licensing for traveling nurses here: https://www.travelnursing.com/news/career-development/have-license-will-travel/

 

In order to be a good traveling nurse, you must be

 

• Flexible-willing to accept a variety of assignments in a variety of locations
• Adaptable-you can tune into your temporary location's practices and get along with others
• You genuinely like traveling-you're not going to be 'homesick'
• You must have high level skills: the hospital or other facility you are sent to expects you to be excellent at what you do and not need a lot of training
• You need to be independent and able to manage your time well, and to find your way in a new location-to look at it as an adventure

And as with any position, a facility has the right to dismiss you if you don't work out for it; you are not in a union with a contract type of nursing job.

 

There are also opportunities for specialty nurses, such as an Oncology, Pediatric, Cardiac, or Neurological nurse, for examples. You can also travel as a Radiologic Technician, Occupational, Physical, or Speech therapist; Nurse Managers and Nurse Practicioners.

 

This is a site that hires traveling nurses. We are not recommending it, necessarily, but it gives descriptions of Traveling Nurse positions: https://www.travelnursing.com/what-is-travel-nursing/traveling-nurse-RN-salary-benefits-housing/


If you want to travel, make good money, get a variety of experiences and learn more about people and places, consider being a travel nurse!

Why We Care About Lead Poisoning

You may have heard about the water problems they're having in Flint, Michigan.

 

Here's the basics: Flint always took its water from Lake Huron, but to save money, the City leaders decided it would use the Flint River instead. That river is very polluted; in fact, some residents thought it was a joke when it was first suggested. It was to be a temporary solution, but went on for several years.

 

The water coming out of faucets in homes was brown and tasted bad. Not only did people hesitate to drink the water, but also to bathe in it or cook with it. Complaints were made, but nothing was done. Two years after the switch, some researchers came in and found the lead levels in the water to be much too high-19 times the amount found in Lake Huron water. The City of Flint hadn't followed Federal law regulating water quality. It was revealed that if the City of Flint had spent just $100 a day for a chemical to treat the water, the lead would have been eliminated or greatly reduced.

 

Where does lead come from?

• It comes from old paint, which contained lead. Lead is no longer allowed as an ingredient in paint. Children have picked off pieces of old paint and eaten them, and if there is lead dust in the air it can be breathed in.
• In the past, pipes used to set up water systems in cities were either made of lead or contained lead. Since this was so many years ago, replacing the pipes is a huge undertaking. Pipes can be lined with a safe coating that seals it off. 
• Lead was also present in window blinds made long ago. Dust from these blinds can get into the air and be breathed in.
• The ways it gets into our bodies is through eating or drinking things with high levels of lead or it can also be breathed in and absorbed through the skin.

It looks harmless...

 *Interesting to note that it is closely related to tin. In the 1600s, tin used to be called "plumbum candidum (bright tin) and lead used to be called "plumbum nigrum (black tin)"...you see where the term 'plumbing' came to be.

 

But it's not meant to be put into the human body.

Here are symptoms of lead poisoning:

• Brain damage, loss of IQ
• Tooth decay
• Hearing loss
• Anemia
• Seizures
• Short attention span, ADD, hyperactivity
• Abdominal pain and disorders
• Memory Loss
• Stunted growth-it affects the human growth hormone

Children are particularly vulnerable to brain damage; their bodies absorb lead very easily. Tests done on children from Flint show that they have lost several IQ points due to lead poisoning.   

People who work in these lines of work have often been exposed to lead, through breathing in fumes or through absorption through their skin-

• Welders
• Printers
• People who work with X-rays and do not wear protective gear
• Metal foundries
• Miners

 

The lead dust can be brought into the home on the clothes of people and thereby expose the rest of the household by breathing or through their skin.

You can read about the ongoing crisis in Flint here, and about the doctor that made a connection and proved there was a huge problem.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/03/us/flint-michigan-water-crisis/index.html

The lines on these bones are from lead poisoning: they should not be there.

 

Here is info from the Center For Disease Control:

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/