
The revelation of contaminated drinking water led to corrective action by the state of Michigan and hundreds of millions in emergency federal support. Napoli Shkolnik PLLC is ready to help those residents who pursue personal injury and property claims related to the Flint water contamination. Three years later, one of the state's top medical officials is charged with involuntary manslaughter. Building on these efforts, the research team coordinated extensive outreach – including phone calls, letters, and press conferences – to educate the population about the imminent health threat posed by Flint drinking water. The work of the coalition of Flint organizations and Virginia Tech researchers ultimately led to the exposure of lead contamination and misconduct by the State of Michigan and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. A Michigan judge threw out felony charges Tuesday against seven people in the Flint water scandal, including two former state health officials blamed for deaths from Legionnaires disease. Virginia Tech researchers also sampled water in hospitals and businesses for heavy metals, dangerous chemicals, and pathogens and published their findings.

Helping oversee a citizen-science effort of Flint community members, the effort tested 800 water samples at 277 homes across the city.

In 2015, Flint faced an increased incidence of childhood poisoning and one of the worst outbreaks of Legionnaire's disease in U.S. After identifying regions with contaminated drinking water, the 45-member team collaborates with community stakeholders to solve problems that are leading to contaminated drinking water. The Virginia Tech Water Study Research Team has discovered and disclosed harmful levels of lead in drinking water in several communities across the country – including Durham and Greenville, North Carolina Flint, Michigan New Orleans, Louisiana and Washington, DC. For nearly a decade, Virginia Tech faculty, students, and community partners worked together to analyze drinking water to ensure it meets safety standards.
