Chapter 10: Jenny + the Data – Analysis and Summary
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
After the state health department's silence sends Mona into despair, her ally Elin secretly builds a political network. Elin connects Mona with Congressman Dan Kildee’s office, and his legislative director, Jordan Dickinson, offers immediate support. Meanwhile, Marc Edwards and his Virginia Tech team publish alarming citizen water-testing results: 40% of first-draw samples exceed 5 ppb, with many above the federal action level. Despite warnings that Edwards is a controversial figure, Mona decides to meet him. Back at Hurley, Mona’s research coordinator Jenny LaChance helps analyze blood-lead data from the pediatric clinic. Jenny’s preliminary analysis shows a jump from 1.5% to 8.5% of children under five with elevated lead levels (≥ 5 μg/dl) after the water switch, with a p‑value of 0.007—strong statistical significance. Still, the sample is small (only 71 post-switch tests), so Mona seeks county and state data. Jenny suggests pulling lab results from Hurley’s entire county system, which requires IRB approval. Mona pushes for a quick turnaround. Meanwhile, MDEQ’s Brad Wurfel publicly attacks Edwards, calling his team irresponsible, a move that only deepens Mona’s resolve.
Key Events
- Elin contacts Congressman Kildee’s office; Jordan Dickinson calls Mona and agrees to help obtain city-wide blood-lead data.
- Marc Edwards publishes Virginia Tech results showing severe lead contamination in Flint tap water; MDEQ’s Brad Wurfel dismisses the findings.
- Mona holds an urgent meeting with her Community Pediatrics residents and Jenny LaChance to design a study.
- The team decides to analyze children under five, use the highest blood-lead level per child, and compare equal time periods before and after the water switch (Jan 2013–Apr 2014 vs. Apr 2014–Sep 2015).
- Jenny runs the analysis overnight and reports a six‑fold increase in elevated lead levels (1.5% to 8.5%), statistically significant at p = 0.007.
- Jenny reveals her personal worry: she was pregnant and later nursing while drinking Flint tap water at work.
- Mona and Jenny recognize the need for a larger sample and begin the process of obtaining IRB approval to access county-wide data.
Character Development
- Mona Hanna-Attisha shifts from frustration to determined action. Her willingness to accept help from political allies and even a controversial scientist like Edwards shows her pragmatic focus on public health. She also reveals a more vulnerable side when she comforts Jenny.
- Jenny LaChance emerges as a meticulous, obsessive researcher who works around the clock. Her personal concern for her infant son adds emotional depth to the data-driven narrative.
- Elin Warn Betanzo demonstrates strategic patience, quietly building political support while waiting for the right moment to act.
- Marc Edwards is introduced as a brilliant but polarizing figure; Mona’s initial impression of him (via a panda‑tie photo) humanizes the “scary” reputation other water experts describe.
- Brad Wurfel solidifies his role as an obstructionist, publicly attacking Edwards rather than addressing the evidence.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Data as a weapon – Mona and Jenny treat statistical analysis as a tool to force accountability; the p‑value becomes a symbol of scientific truth that cannot be dismissed.
- The cost of indifference – The state’s non‑response and MDEQ’s attacks on Edwards illustrate how institutions protect themselves at the expense of public health.
- Maternal vigilance – Jenny’s worry about her baby is a microcosm of the broader crisis: every Flint mother will eventually face the same painful question.
- Speed vs. bureaucracy – The contrast between the quick, nimble work at a small teaching hospital and the slow, PDF‑by‑PDF approach of the county health department highlights systemic barriers.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is the turning point where suspicion becomes hard evidence. Mona’s clinic data, though limited, proves that lead exposure is not just a water problem but a children’s health emergency. The move to obtain IRB approval sets the stage for a larger, more definitive study that will eventually reach the public and force government action. Jenny’s personal story also reminds readers that the crisis affects everyone—including the people working to expose it.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Mona decide to meet Marc Edwards despite warnings that he is “radioactive”?
Mona recognizes that Edwards’s water-testing data is crucial and that she needs his scientific credibility. She is willing to risk association with a controversial figure if it helps Flint children.
2. What is the significance of the p‑value of 0.007 in Jenny’s analysis?
A p‑value below 0.05 is considered statistically significant. 0.007 means there is only a 0.7% probability that the observed increase in elevated lead levels happened by chance, strongly supporting the link to the water switch.
3. How does the chapter show the tension between quick action and required process?
Mona and Jenny can generate rapid preliminary results from existing clinic data, but to access a larger county‑wide sample they must navigate IRB approval—a necessary ethical safeguard that can delay urgent public-health work.