Policies, social realities may be behind water, air disasters

By COURTNEY BOURGOIN
Capital News Service
LANSING — It started with a blame game among government officials. Now, many people want to know whether the Flint water crisis was fueled by racism and classism. And according to environmental justice experts, these social drivers of environmental disasters are more than a Flint problem. They’re Michigan’s reality. While Flint suffered the consequences of corroding pipes and lead poisoning, Detroit residents are concerned about severe air quality issues in the city.