Data Visualization to Promote Understanding of the Community Health Impact of the Flint Water Crisis

Abstract

Between 2014 to 2015, the city of Flint suffered from critically contaminated water that caused long-term adverse health effects for many of its residents. In 2017, the “Speak to Your Health!” Community Survey assessed various aspects of adult Flint residents’ health. In addition to the health-related assessments, there were also questions about residents’ tap water quality, including during the times of Flint’s water crisis. This project used results from the survey on how water turbidity levels affected the number of days when poor mental and physical health interfered with daily activities. Diagramming software was used to create images representing this relationship in intuitive formats. These data visualizations are intended to boost data literacy among non-researchers, particularly the people and policymakers of Flint. Given that the crisis ensued after Flint’s water source was switched without proper infrastructure in place to ensure appropriate water quality, causing the population to suffer long term health, social, and economic complications, it is hoped that these results will be used to empower the population of Flint to advocate for continued investment in remediation and prevent future similar health crises.