That decline was primarily driven by what the authors call a “culling of the least healthy fetuses” resulting in a “horrifyingly large” increase in fetal deaths and miscarriages. A September 2015 study showed that the proportion of Flint children with high lead levels in their blood had roughly doubled after the water change. Grossman and Slusky wanted to know if something similar happened in Flint after lead-poisoned water was introduced in 2014. During this time period, residents in Flint were generally unaware of the amount of lead in their water. The paper's findings on fertility and fetal death rates largely mirror the effects observed in Washington, D.C., from 2000 to 2003.

Source: Washington Post September 21, 2017 18:22 UTC