In the United States a recent crisis in Flint, the fourth-largest city in the state of Michigan, revealed the dimensions of this problem. Flint is an industrial city with an official poverty rate of over 40%, a majority African-American population and a femaleheaded household rate of almost 30% (US Census 2015, State of Michigan 2015). Residents (especially mothers) complained about poor water quality almost immediately following the switchover, but the authorities repeatedly dismissed their concerns and issued strong denials that there was a problem.