Flint Water Whistleblower Slams Actor Mark Ruffalo's Group For 'Dangerous' Message
FLINT (WWJ) - The whistleblower who helped diagnose the lead-in-the-water problem is blasting Avengers actor/activist Mark Ruffalo and friends for allegedly exploiting the fears of Flint residents.
"An A list Actor but an F List Scientist" is the headline of a scathing blog written by Virginia Tech professor Dr. Marc Edwards about a claim by Ruffalo's Water Defense group that it is not safe to bathe in the city's water.
Edwards warned in 2015 that the city's water supply was tainting with lead; but he says these claims by Water Defense that focus on entered around Cloroform — a chemical that is regulated — have no scientific backing.
"Water Defense has consistently presented their chloroform and DBP data, as if they have discovered something new, dangerous and unique to Flint residents. But I reviewed their data, and it is typical of a very good tap water, as is expected given that Flint has now switched back to Detroit water," Edwards writes.
"Ruffalo's absurd hypothesis that DBPs in Flint could be coming from "corroded lead" or "galvanized iron," defies basic laws of physics and chemistry. Indeed, we do know where DBPs come from—they do not come from corroded pipe."
Edwards goes on to blast the group for exploiting the fears of traumatized Flint residents and asks if they will take any liability from problems that arise from residents who stop bathing. [MORE HERE].
Ruffalo, who plays the Hulk in the Avengers films, was in Detroit in July, 2014 to protest water service shutoffs in the city.
A call by WWJ Newsradio 950 to Water Defense for comment was not immediately returned.