misciwriterseditors blog

What’s in your water?

Written by: Kelley Dugan

Edited by: Ryan Schildcrout, Nick Janne, April Kriebel, and Jennifer Baker

Illustrated by: Jacquelyn Roberts

Have you ever wondered about the quality of your drinking water?

You’ve probably heard of the Flint Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan. The water crisis began on April 25, 2014, when Flint’s water supply was switched from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Due to the switch, lead and other contaminants were leached from water distribution pipes into Flint’s municipal drinking water. While lead levels dropped below the federal limit in January of 2017𑁋years after the crisis began𑁋long-term effects of lead exposure and mental health impacts continue in 2022.

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misciwriterseditors blog

Elemental damage: When oxygen makes you short of breath

Written by: Jennifer Baker

Edited by: Christina Del Greco, Jessica Li, and Andrew Alvarez

Illustrated by: Katie Bonefas

Take a deep breath in … (it’s okay, I’ll wait) … aaaannnnndddd release. Feel better? While breathing deeply is relaxing and has psychological benefits, it also has a fundamental physiological function.

Unless you are reading this atop Mount Everest where gas concentrations deviate from those at sea level (congrats on your successful ascent!), about 21% of the air you just inhaled is oxygen, a vital resource your cells need to survive. This oxygen is used by cells all over your body for chemical processes such as generating energy for cellular functions like building proteins, fixing cell membranes, and repairing DNA.

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