Topic: Legionnaires Disease

Crowe compares viral theories to the sugar industry's historical effort to blame fat for heart disease to divert attention from sugar. He suggests that companies like Monsanto benefit when environmental poisoning (like St. Louis Encephalitis) is blamed on a virus. He argues that virologists are trained to see every disease as a "nail" for their viral "hammer," ignoring toxins in the air or water.

Beyond lead, the Flint water switch caused an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that officially killed 12 people, though estimates suggest the true death toll is much higher. The water also suffered from E. coli contamination and high levels of TTHMs, which are carcinogenic disinfection byproducts. General Motors stopped using Flint water for its engine plant in October 2014 because the corrosive liquid was damaging their machinery.