Syracuse Water Baby is an informal term applied by physicians to Syracuse residents exposed to contaminated drinking water resulting from the large-scale pollution of Lake Onondaga, which subsequently bled into the water
table and clean tap water supplied from Lake Skaneateles.
Once considered "
America's most polluted lake", dumping of
industrial waste and raw sewage into Onondaga was at its peak from 1975 to 1980. It's believed most infants, young
children, and pregnant mothers exposed to the region's drinking water during this period will have suffered some type of adverse effect(s) to cognitive and intellectual development resulting from toxic contaminants, with these effects continuing into adulthood. Syracuse Water
Babies often suffer behavioral confusion, psychiatric disorders, and lowered intelligence quotient caused by developmental impairment. Physical effects are uncommon.
Despite significant legal action and cleanup of the lake itself since the period, reportage, discussion and litigation regarding the physiological aspects (which still affect thousands of Syracuse natives) was largely suppressed amidst the corrupt political landscape of the Eighties and Nineties, with alleged payoffs of officials at
local and state levels.
Dr. Francis glanced at the nurse as his patient described symptoms in
line with
childhood chemical exposure. When the patient left, the nurse
said "Is that another one?" and Dr. Francis nodded, "Yes, he's a Syracuse Water Baby . And it could have all been avoided if the pediatricians had been more alert."
