《美國醫學會雜誌》論壇：水中含鉛——一個社會與環境不正義的故事【全球瞭望】
JAMA Forum—Lead in the Water: A Tale of Social and Environmental Injustice
近期在美國密西根州弗林特市爆發的自來水含鉛污染事件，除了再次提醒人們老舊自來水管線產生的鉛污染公衛問題外，更重要的是反映出政府失靈與僵化、社會與環境不正義等結構性問題，使得原本就為最弱勢的族群，如貧窮與少數族裔，特別是其老弱婦孺，需要承受最多的污染與傷害。另一方面，本能以較少成本妥善處理的問題，最後卻需要全民付出沉重代價甚至無法完全改善，其中許多問責、治理、正義等議題，都值得吾人透過水中含鉛這個議題，更加深思。
The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, is a tale of systematic “government failure, intransigence, unpreparedness, and environmental injustice.” The most vulnerable groups, such as poor, minority, children and pregan women, have suffered most from the population and government failures. It would have been possible to prevent corrosion in the pipes for around $100 per day, but turns out today the cost of repairing the Flint water system is estimated at $1.5 billion. We should learn a serious lesson about accountability, governance and justice from this sad story.
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