Lead contamination is not just a problem for Flint. Over 19 Detroit schools have found elevated lead or copper levels in their water, ABC News reports.

School officials began collection water samples two weeks ago as a proactive and precautionary measure. The school district has not released the specific level of contamination about the levels found in nearly a third of the 62 schools tested.

Officials did say, however, that they are working fast to fix the problem. According to ABC News, district spokeswoman Michelle Zdrodowski said, “While additional testing is completed, DPS [Detroit Public Schools] immediately shut off all drinking fountains in the affected schools until further notice and is providing additional bottled water for students and staff.”

The schools are also providing meals that do not require adding any extra water.

Few schools and childcare centers are required to check for lead because they receive their water from municipal systems that test at other locations. This includes the Detroit school system.

This inconsistency in testing makes children the most vulnerable because a build up in lead particles happens when the water goes unused for long periods of time. Most school buildings in the U.S were built in the 1970s, but it wasn’t until 1986 that lead pipes were banned.

When consumed, lead is a very dangerous neurotoxin that can damage a child’s brain development. Lead exposure contributes to approximately 600,000 new cases of  intellectual disabilities in children each year.

Lead in the water has been a long standing issue in Michigan, as residents in nearby Flint were exposed to dangerous levels of lead when the city reconnected it’s water system to the contaminated Flint River.

It is not yet known how much it will cost to fix this issue. State lawmakers recently approved $48.7 million in emergency funding to keep schools open through the end of the financial year.

Michigan Representative Sarah Roberts (D-St. Clair Shores) is taking on The Tampon Tax in an interesting — and important — way. Roberts recently introduced House Bills 5426 and 5427, according to the State News, in an effort to make feminine hygiene products free in public schools and state-operated restrooms.

Both bills are sitting in the Committee on Government Operations. The committee has not yet announced a specific date for hearings, but Roberts explained that she feels confident.

“I think with the increased (news) coverage and other states — there’s even a bill at the federal level to eliminate the tax on feminine hygiene products — I’m hoping that we’re going to start to see some movement,” Roberts said.

The media coverage she references is the aptly-named “tampon tax,” which has gotten national attention in recent months. According to the Detroit Free Press, the website Change.org began a global online petition to scrap sales taxes on hygiene products such as tampons and sanitary pads.

Because these items are considered paper products, they have historically been subjected to sales taxes. But as many women have begun saying, these items are already very expensive; placing additional costs on the items creates an “undue burden” on those who menstruate.

The typical package of maxi pads costs around $7, and the average woman can go through one package per month. For women who experience certain other gynecological conditions like endometriosis, which affects an estimated 13.6 million American women, the cost of having a monthly period is often even higher.

If Roberts’ two bills are passed through the Michigan legislature, it could have a big impact on the way women’s healthcare is approached. Even if the bills are not signed, at the very least, they are creating an open space for constructive dialogue.

“We need to be talking about women’s health issues like this and not have any discomfort about it,” said Roberts, “or we need to take away the taboos about talking about a variety of women’s health issues. And I think these bills are an opportunity to advance that conversation.”

A Michigan-based Muslim civil rights group filed two class-action lawsuits in federal court after being placed on the terrorist watch list.

One suit is on the behalf of 18 Muslim-Americans, including one 4-year-old child, who were allegedly placed on the terrorist watch list without due process.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed the second suit on behalf of thousands of American Muslims who appeared on the list for the same reasons and seeks damages for everyone on the list.

Every member of the first case is a U.S. citizen and Muslim. Only one plaintiff is currently a resident of Virginia; the other 17 are all from Michigan.

“None of these individuals were given notice,” Lena Masri, the legal director for CAIR’s Michigan chapter, said to The Detroit News. “All are innocent and none have been charged with crimes.”

The 4-year-old boy, listed as Baby John Doe, according to the lawsuit, was placed on the list of known or suspected terrorists.

“Baby Doe’s only crime is he was born to an American Muslim family,” Masri said.

The child was with his mother at a U.S. airport when he was subjected to chemical testing and “extreme” pat down searches before he was permitted to board the plane.

Civil lawsuits end up costing the U.S. economy about $239 billion annually, but the CAIR have no problem bringing these two suits to court.

The plaintiffs found out they were on the terrorist watch list after their bank accounts were closed, and they were denied the ability to transfer money. Many also found Secondary Security Screening Selection (SSSS) designations on their boarding passes or were subjected to additional searches.

David Walid, executive director of CAIR, said the watch list is affecting thousands of law-abiding citizens.

“Caught up in the net of broad and baseless classification of suspected terrorists are mothers, school teachers, minors and in the case of this lawsuit, even a baby.”

The FBI said it was conducting a specific criminal probe and was not targeting racial or religious communities.

According to ABC News, there are more than one million people on the FBI’s list of “known or suspected terrorists.”

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine recently approved two new University of California Davis research initiatives, which take aim at childhood diseases like Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff disease, as well as solid tumor cancer cells.

“The projects that our board approved today are a great example of work that takes innovative approaches to developing new therapies for a wide variety of diseases,” said Jonathon Thomas, chair of the CIRM board.
The approval likely means that huge amounts of new research dollars will pour into the field of regenerative medicine.

The funding will advance technology, as well as understanding of this relatively new form of medicine, making it more accessible in areas of the country where it is, for lack of a better word, somewhat taboo.

Areas of the country where regenerative medicine is not yet prominent because of opposition from religious leaders, like in Dallas, or lack of access due to economic strife, like Detroit, may see more widespread access to these resources as a result of the increased funding.

The good news comes at a time when regenerative medicine seems to be making big, frequent breakthroughs — from Capitol Hill all the way back to the research lab.

According to Medical News Today, the announcement marked another huge victory for stem cell therapy, as functional tissue has successfully been grown into the spines of rats without any error or complications.

This means that stem cells are even more robust in the hands of our healthcare system, allowing some debilitating or even deadly spinal injuries to become a thing of the past.

All in all, this is very good news for supporters of the treatment. In 2012, biomaterials dominated the regenerative medicine market by generating $2.6 billion in revenue, and the entire industry is expected to grow to $6.5 billion annually by 2019.

WalletHub, a survey company, has named two Michigan metro areas, Detroit and Wyoming, in its 100 Fattest Cities in America List of 2016.

About one-third of all Michigan adults are classified as being obese.

Pam Kelle, a registered dietitian and nutrition therapist, said in an interview with Public News Service, that she believes surveys like this can indicate a behavioral and societal change, but there can still be harm done to individuals who are struggling with their weight and are actively fighting a weight problem.

“How can we educate and teach people about healthy living and the risk of obesity without making people feel judged,” Kelle said.

The survey includes percentages of inactivity, amounts of fruits and vegetables consumed, the “healthy environment” rank, and overall weight. It didn’t necessarily look at the amount of junk food and other unhealthy meals consumed, like the near 350 slices of pizza being consumed each second around the globe.

Lack of physical activity, in particular, contribute to the region’s high instance of obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that about 25% of all adults in Michigan engage in no physical activity.

“Small steps lead to healthier choices,” Kelle said. “Try to talk within the family unit about making small changes overall, and it might be meal by meal.”

Diet changes could be necessary in improving overall weight levels. Increasing the number of “whole foods” a person consumes — such as healthy alternatives like yogurt, guacamole, and hummus — and eating in moderation can greatly improve your diet.

Michigan as a whole ranked 17th among the 50 states in obesity in 2014, but that’s a 13 rank drop from fourth place in 1995.

Other noticeable factors on the 2016 Fattest Cities in America list: Honolulu, HI, came in at number 100 with a total score of 46.1; Orlando, FL, ranked the worst in the “healthy environment” category; and Memphis, TN, topped the list with a total score of 76.9.