New Orleans Environment Watch

HOT OFF THE WIRE: Dangerous Mold Levels Found in NO

2005-11-16T13:07:00.000-05:00

The Natural Resources Defense Council comes through again with independent test results showing dangerously high mold levels inside and outside homes in New Orleans. All the information, including location-specific testing, Q&A, and guidelines for dealing with it can be found here:

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/katrinadata/contents.asp

We're still looking through all the findings, but needless to say, these findings are worrisome.

MUST READ: Katrina Cough

2005-11-16T12:50:00.000-05:00

If you want something that pretty much amounts to a Cliff's Notes version of what we've been saying here for months, check out this story from Slate:

http://www.slate.com/id/2130421/?nav=tap3

It succinctly lays out the environmental health problems in New Orleans, how they compare to the 9.11 case, and what needs to be done.

New Orleans: "The humans are the guinea pigs here.''

2005-11-10T22:15:00.000-05:00

A story out of the Associated Press today says that there are still environmental problems in New Orleans, though the EPA continues to downplay them.

But, a local chemical engineer with an enviromental group lays it out pretty well:

Gary Miller, a chemical engineer and air expert with the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, said state and federal agencies have done a good job sampling the hurricane-hit region. But, he said, EPA has been reluctant to declare the region environmentally dangerous because the agency does not want to stop the rebuilding effort.

"There are millions of dollars at stake here, and the last thing EPA will want to do is get in front of that locomotive,'' Miller said.

He said the long-term health and environmental effects are still playing out.
"This is an ongoing experiment,'' he said, "and unfortunately the humans are the guinea pigs here.''

For example, he said, EPA samples show that there are high levels of lead and arsenic in sediment in New Orleans. Officials, he said, will need to be very careful about what they do with the contaminated soil.

Indeed, until the danger is properly determined, the people returning are guinea pigs. Some residents, it was reported on television, are begining to take on Mayor Ray Nagin. We hope those same residents band together with groups like the Bucket Brigade and Louisiana Environmental Action Network to put pressure on the government to protect the health of the public.

EPA will clean up Minnesota homes, not New Orleans

2005-11-09T12:08:00.000-05:00

As reported here yesterday, the EPA is again maintaining that it does not have the responsibility to clean up interior spaces that may be contaminated with Katrina's toxic dust. That, they say, is the job of the city and state.

And yet, on Oct 31, EPA announced the following, about the St. Regis, Minnesota contaminated site:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has announced that homes near the St. Regis Superfund site in Cass Lake, Minn., willbe cleaned up and clean topsoil and grass will be applied to their yards...

The interim cleanup plan includes the removaland replacement of carpeting, initial and periodic housecleaning to remove dust,soil and grass cover on yards in the area, and actions to suppress dust on nearbydirt streets. While the houses are being cleaned, residents will be temporarily relocated to local hotels and also receive a food allowance....

People of New Orleans deserve to know why they're getting the shaft from the Feds.

MSNBC Asks - Did New Orleans Bring People Back Too Soon?

2005-11-08T19:22:00.000-05:00

This report by MSNBC does a decent job of going over the major complaints of those concerned about the environmental health integrity of New Orleans. Tons of good points in there, but two things should be focused on.

First, the story reports this:

“We waited until we got a written report from the EPA [before people were allowed back]” for each area, Nagin testified before the same Senate committee. “I kept asking for written reports and there was a reluctance to grant those,” he added, but they were eventually delivered.

He conceded, however, that the strategy was “somewhat risky” given the health concerns.

So, the Mayor admits he was taking a risk with human lives, and that should be the headline. Yet, even more astonishing than that is the statement that he based his decision on EPA reports, given that on September 19th, the Mayor said this:

"We also looked at the [EPA] report as it relates to flooded areas. And it was a very clever attorney who wrote the report. So it basically bounced on both sides of the issue and didn't really tell you much."

The Mayor then admitted to the Senate that he let people back into areas based on reports that "didn't tell him much," and "bounced on both sides of the issue." We'd assert that this was a little more than "somewhat risky." Maybe someone wants to then ask the Mayor what, if anything, then, led him to send people back?

The second main point is that the sediment has indeed turned to dust and has become airborne:

Activists say homes are the most immediate risk. “It’s kicked up in the form of dust and people are breathing it,” said Olson, the lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “People breathe it all together, and when you get that type of combination it’s particularly dangerous for people with respiratory illnesses.”

That may be one factor contributing to the new "Katrina Cough" (noted in a post below), and frankly, toxic dust from dried sediment is something we have warned about since the very first post.

One other thing to note in the story is that there is a growing group of dedicated grassroots scientists and activists in the story clamoring for action. We would encourage that, and ask that if you know someone in New Orleans, you urge them to support the efforts of groups like the Bucket Brigade.

In New York, after 9.11, the only way the EPA was forced to move in the right direction on the issue was for the public to unite and take action. Even still, the people of New York are battling the EPA to do its job.

For instance, the EPA's largest nonfeasance was refusing to test and clean interiors right after 9.11, saying it was the job of the City to do that. They still claim it isn't really their job.

Buried in this story is what they are telling the people of New Orleans (second to last paragraph):

And the EPA's sampling and cleanup plans addressed only the flood-deposited sediment outdoors. Planning for any cleanup inside homes or other buildings would be a state and local responsibility.

This is a long battle ahead, and New Orleanians need to band together now.

Interview with WBAI on New Orleans and the WTC Case

2005-11-08T00:43:00.000-05:00

WBAI in New York today had Wilma Subra, a chemist from New Orleans, and Eric Schmeltzer, of this site, on their station today to talk about New Orleans and the dangers that may still lurk there, and how it compares to the World Trade Center case.

9/11 Environmental Action Coalition was kind enough to host the audio. You can find it at the link below. Please peruse their site to learn more about the environmental health effects STILL affecting many New Yorkers.

http://www.911ea.org/News_Stories_on_Katrina.htm#Health%20Hazards%20on%20the%20Gulf%20Coast;%20Similarities%20with%20Lower%20Manhattan%20after%209/11%20Examined

“KATRINA COUGH” BEGINS TO SPREAD IN NEW ORLEANS

2005-11-04T12:39:00.000-05:00

The Los Angeles Times reports today that “Katrina Cough” has started to affect those who have returned to the City. Residents who have been exposed to toxic muck, that has turned into toxic dust, have started to complain of “sinus headaches, congestion, runny noses and sore throats,” which one doctor describes as “very prevalent” among returnees.

Yet, the EPA continues to maintain that the air is safe in New Orleans, telling the City Council that the air is no different than before Katrina. Additionally, in the LA Times story, government health agencies say there is no real longterm problem. This is, they say, simply an allergic reaction.

Where have I heard this before?

In New York, post 9/11, the EPA and other government agencies did everything within their power to downplay any health risks to those exposed to World Trade Center dust, basically calling anyone who tried to warn the public alarmist.

The comparisons are eerie. Just look at these quotes from today’s LA Times story compared to New York, post 9/11.

LA TIMES, TODAY: “Numerous factors have contributed to the public's confusion…. For example, despite the mold warnings, the government has issued repeated public assurances that the air quality in areas affected by Katrina is safe. But tests of air quality have been aimed almost entirely at toxins, such as benzene, in areas where the storm caused oil spills. There has been very little testing, officials said, of "biologicals" — namely, the airborne mold that appears to be causing much of the problem.Most state and federal officials believe there is no need for additional testing because the contamination is confined largely to houses that were flooded during the storm."It is an indoor environmental problem, primarily," said Dr. Stephen Redd, chief of the air pollution and respiratory health branch at the National Center for Environmental Health, an arm of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

WASHINGTON POST, JANUARY 8, 2002: “The EPA, which has conducted thousands of tests of Lower Manhattan's air since Sept. 11, has repeatedly assured residents that the air is safe to breathe. Doctors note that some symptoms could be caused or enhanced by stress -- and many will undoubtedly dissipate as the last smoldering fires go out and the air grows clearer….
Alerted to concerns about Tabb's building, he said, the project hired an independent industrial hygienist to conduct tests of surfaces there on Dec. 3, using methods published by the American Society for Testing and Materials. The tests found the presence of settled asbestos dust 555 times above the suggested acceptable level.

Asked about those results, spokesman Geoff Ryan of the city's Department of Environmental Protection said the department does not recognize this type of test, and that its own tests at the building, done on Dec. 12, had come back negative.”

LA TIMES, TODAY: “Among healthy people, the condition is not considered serious and can generally be treated with antihistamines, nasal sprays or, in the case of bacterial infections, antibiotics.”

FOX NEWS, JANUARY 11 2002: “The Uniformed Firefighters Association estimates that about one-third of its 9,000 members suffer from "World Trade Center cough." One must wonder, though, how many of these men are simply suffering from the flu-related symptoms — it is flu season after all.

What's going on with the Tabbs and others, if not World Trade Center Syndrome? My bet is a combination of anxiety salted with hypochondria. Stress is a well-known asthma and headache trigger.”

Many reporters trusted government spin, both from Federal and City agencies. After all, these were government agencies charged with doing everything they could to protect the public health. Why in the hell would they want to downplay health risks, and endanger the public health?!

Why would the Pentagon, which is supposed to help provide for Troops and protect them continue to refuse to acknowledge things are screwed up in Iraq and our Troops need help?

In their quest to be “fair and balanced,” the press overcompensates, unfortunately. Whether it is Iraq or Gulf War Syndrome or World Trade Center cough or Katrina Cough, the media so tries to not be alarmist that it ends up being apologist. In the end, that keeps pressure off the decision makers and things don’t get done right until it is too late.

So what happened to those who had World Trade Center cough? Well, read this story from yesterday, which reads, in part:

“The latest follow-up report on lung function in New York City firefighters shows that firefighters who served in rescue efforts in the World Trade Center collapse are showing "accelerated pulmonary function decline”…."

Yes, that’s right. That cough that was just stress, or allergies and was supposed to be short-term has resulted in pulmonary decline that is 12 times higher than the normal aging process.

If Mayor Nagin doesn’t act like a leader and take charge, and if the EPA doesn’t stop sending it’s downplayed messages, they will have blood on their hands.

Heavy contamination found in New Orleans, including on Children's Playgrounds

2005-10-27T23:34:00.000-04:00

So says MSNBC....

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9828116/

Key quote is this. How funny, the private oil company says the area is safe, just as the EPA has been saying:

Heavy metals were found in the soil on the school’s playground, the groups said.

“Kids are always playing in the dirt and putting their hands in their mouths,” Anne Rolfes, director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, said in a statement announcing the results. “Why aren’t our government agencies talking about these risks?”

Murphy Oil sent a letter to residents earlier this week saying that testing by a company it had retained showed little threat of long-term health issues.

Experts Cite New Orleans Disaster Health Risks

2005-10-22T16:43:00.000-04:00

Disaster News Network chimes in with this story (sadly reported nowhere else) about a roundtable discussion health and environmental experts held.

One doctor not only warned residents to protect themselves, but drew the parallel to 9.11 and what New York is still dealing with because the EPA refused to take the health threat seriously. Note, when he says respirators, he DOES NOT mean paper masks. We've seen a number of pictures of people cleaning up wearing those. They will absolutely not protect you from most harmful particulate matter:

"In New Orleans and the South you will have dust and it will be made up of all kinds of things," said Lioy. "We're still tearing down buildings (in New York City) because we can't clean them up. This will also be an issue the South will have to deal with."
Related to the dust, Lioy said that knowing its specific make-up is crucial to cleaning it up correctly. "Characterize your dust now, know what's in it and know it well. It's not just one single chemical, it's multiple toxins. And those toxins may not alone impact people, but they could react differently mixed together."

Lioy also advised those present to make sure no one is left out during the cleanup phase and to make sure responders and workers are equipped with respirators. Pointing to an image of Ground Zero cleanup workers with respirators resting around their necks, Lioy cautioned the conference-goers.

"One of the most serious issues after Sept. 11 was that no one wore respirators (during cleanup)," he explained. "You need to make sure that not only government workers and large contractors have them, but that everyone has them and wears them."

New Orleans Workers Sick, Groups Protest

2005-10-21T16:20:00.000-04:00

Many immigrant laborers have been showing signs of illness from working around the polluted reminants of Hurricane Katrina. That's just a glimpse into the serious damage that can be done by even longer term exposure. Fortunately, a number of groups are protesting that the government properly protect these workers.

The New Standard reports:

Roger Cook, executive director of the Western New York Council on Occupational Safety and Health (WNYCOSH), said workers have developed rashes and coughs from the work, but no one appears to be doing anything about it.

"Contractors are hiring immigrant workers right here in Houston and taking them to New Orleans to do cleanup," Juan Alvarez, director of the Latin American Organization for Immigrant Rights in Houston said in yesterday’s statement. "I know men who have gotten so sick with diarrhea, skin inflammations and breathing problems. They can't work, so they've come back here. The contractors just hire more."

Another critique of the LSU Study

2005-10-18T15:12:00.000-04:00

Piggybacking on the post below, we missed this NRDC release on the LSU study of flood waters in New Orleans. Basically says what we said, but in a more complete way. Check it out here:

http://www.nrdc.org/media/default.asp#1012a

LSU Conflict of Interest on Testing?

2005-10-18T13:33:00.000-04:00

Going back to a story from a few days ago, when LSU researcher John Pardue said his testing found that flood waters were no more dangerous than normal flood waters in New Orleans.

We have found that the LSU program that Pardue heads is part of The Hazardous Substance Research Center/South and Southwest. What's that, you ask?

From the Center's website:

The South & Southwest Center was established in October 1991 under Section 311(d) of CERCLA to conduct research and technology transfer designed to promote risk-based management and control of hazardous substances for the nation and regions 4 and 6 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

In other words, Pardue and Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute at LSU works for the EPA. That would be the same EPA that has been putting out flawed testing results for a while. Now why would Pardue want to put out any test results that says the EPA is wrong and piss off his bosses?

This brings serious doubt to the credibility of the LSU results.

Scientist Warns Legislature: DO NOT Return to New Orleans Yet

2005-10-15T11:03:00.000-04:00

According to this piece, not only did a doctor tell the legislature that it wasn't safe to return, but many of the Legislators told her they were sick themselves from toxic exposure!!

Testifying at a joint hearing of the Health and Welfare Committee, Miriam Aschkenasy, an emergency medicine physician, warned that exposure to sludge and mold, when coupled with limited medical services in rural areas, could result in a public health nightmare...

"Many people are getting mixed messages about their return," said Aschkenasy in written testimony. "There should be no confusion. It is not safe to return at this time. If people return, they need to fully understand that they are putting themselves at risk. If they choose to return, and many will, they need to know when and how to get help, and how to protect themselves to avoid further catastrophe."

Legislators didn't need much nudging on the issue: Some of them had already experienced uncomfortable health effects during their own cleanups.

"Several of them came up to me afterwards and said, 'I got sick,'" said Aschkenasy. "One woman said she got a rash and hives from her house, and her friend was sick with a fever and a lung infection. Another legislator during the testimony said he and his wife went to clean up and she got so sick with headaches and nausea that he sent her back to her family."

Another Must Read from Michelle Chen

2005-10-15T10:53:00.000-04:00

Michelle Chen with the New Standard does some more grunt work to get a full picture of what the situation in New Orleans is. A must read, all the way through, but this stands out:

When visiting one of the spots in the city where Subra had recently taken sediment samples, Robert Verchick, a law professor at Loyola University in New Orleans, happened upon a mother and daughter preparing to reenter their housing complex. The only barriers between the women and the slew of hazardous chemicals that Subra had detected were sweat suits, rubber gloves and cheap face masks tacked upside down over their faces.

The EPA’s recent public service announcements advise residents to wear a "dust mask" when handling debris containing lead, asbestos or chemical residues, but according to industrial guidelines, basic dust masks will not protect against airborne asbestos or toxic vapors.Yes, they had looked on the internet for safety information, they told Verchick, and were following the mayor’s instructions to wear protective clothing and proceed with caution. They told him they knew nothing about local sediment contamination.

"It’s amazing to me," Verchick told TNS, "that not only is the government allowing these folks to be in areas that we now know have extreme contaminants, but that they’re not even giving people information about these contaminants."

Read the full article here.

How to Handle Asbestos and Other Hazmats (In one word - DON'T!)

2005-10-13T13:22:00.000-04:00

Take a look at the picture below of professional workers doing asbestos remediation and what they are wearing (courtesy of LVI Environmental Services).

That is the right way to handle any material that may contain asbestos, as many houses in New Orleans do, and the proper way to handle things like that toxic sludge. WHY then does the EPA and the city tell people that a minimum of wearing gloves, goggles, and masks only is OK? Why are they even telling people there is any reason at all to handle this stuff? (Note, in the link, they first say not to handle it, but then tell you how you should handle it - what are people to think?)

If you have to go back, do not handle anything left behind by the flooding unless you look like that picture. Even better, call professionals to handle it.

New Orleans Lessons - Could it happen to you?

2005-10-13T13:16:00.000-04:00

Osha Gray Davidson does a wonderful job at looking at the situation in New Orleans and applying what happened there to potential environmental disasters that could occur elsewhere. Is your hometown listed?

Check here: http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2005/10/11/davidson/index.html

Nagin Campaigns to Rush People Back

2005-10-13T05:25:00.000-04:00

The Washington Post has a report this morning on the campaign (in every sense of the word) by Mayor Nagin to coax people back to New Orleans. The article cites a relatively low number of returnees coming back.

Here is a suggestion to the Mayor. Tell people why they are being sent back in to the Lower 9th Ward, which has been independently tested and shown to be extremely dangerous, and explain to residents of other areas why their area wasn't retested when the independent analysis showed the EPA's testing of the Lower 9th was off target.

*crickets*

Residents are wise to exercise caution until irrefutable testing is done of all areas.

Immigrant Workers Sick in New Orleans, and Water Testing

2005-10-12T12:06:00.000-04:00

This article in the Associated Press explains that many immigrant workers in New Orleans have been taken to the hospital, ill from exposure to the environment in New Orleans:

Advocates said the lack of protective gear is leading to health problems. Juan Alvarez, director of the Latin American Organization for Immigrant Rights in Houston, said he recently took five or six workers to the hospital after they complained of respiratory problems and diarrhea upon their return from New Orleans.

In a number of stories today, there is news that testing on the water around New Orleans has been tested and shown to be relatively clean. In fact, the testers say, it's no more dangerous than normal flood waters.

Yet, the person who conducted the testing, Pardue, states all the shortcomings of his tests:

1. Limited sampling ("snapshot").
2. No sampling was done in industrial areas where spills occured.
3. Samples were taken just after the flooding, before chemicals would have had time to spread.
4. The leftover sludge, still present in the area, is the most hazardous.

So, take these results with a grain of salt. We're all awaiting testing being done by the NRDC which is widespread and follows the more scientifically sound two-week monitoring period.

Fate of New Orleans Superfund Sites?

2005-10-10T10:29:00.000-04:00

USA Today takes a look at the number of Superfund sites around the New Orleans area, and whether or not they've spread their hazardous materials. Many local activists are worried that they have, while the EPA says they just don't know.

Remaining contaminants "could've spread to other neighborhoods ... and it could've spread contaminants right into living quarters," says Darryl Malek Wiley, the Sierra Club's New Orleans representative. "I would hope that they finally just relocate people out of the area."

Victim of mold warns "Stay Away from New Orleans"

2005-10-09T12:15:00.000-04:00

More on toxic mold, from a victim of this severe danger:

Whenever Josh Sommer thinks about the thousands of New Orleans residents starting to venture back to their flooded city, he gets a queasy feeling. He wants to warn them to stay away.

Sommer knows what might lurk in the walls, floors and furniture in their waterlogged homes: smelly, scary, sickening mold.

The Duke University freshman, 17, is on a mission to warn the public about the health risks of toxic mold. What motivates him is personal experience.
Four years ago, he says, mold nearly ruined his life.

Read the full story here: http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2813464p-9259248c.html

The Toxic Mold Danger

2005-10-09T11:48:00.000-04:00

Be on the lookout for a slew of stories about mold in New Orleans. Unfortunately, a number of insurance-paid scientists are getting out there trying to downplay the significance of the dangers of mold, confusing reporters' stories.

This story appears today in the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. Sharon Kramer, an expert on the toxic mold issue goes through the story, exclusively for New Orleans Environment Watch, line by line, below (her comments in bold italics).....

Unwelcome guest moves in as Gulf Coast dries out
By Julie Goodman

GULFPORT — Angela Hawthorne, 48, who lives with her son and three grandchildren in her Gulfport home, has struggled to tend to debris, roof damage and water-soaked carpeting left by Hurricane Katrina.But once the mess was contained, another horror emerged: black and white mold that is slowly working its way from her floors and baseboards up the walls.
The stench is stifling.

"I just couldn't do nothing but cry, I was so upset," said Hawthorne, whose family now lives on the property in two travel trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"It freaked me out. I kind of got nervous because I never knew what black mold was."
In the aftermath of Katrina, Hawthorne and other residents around the Mississippi Gulf Coast are discovering the nasty manifestations of mold, which has appeared as green, white and black spots on their walls, furniture and refrigerators in homes with little ventilation. Mold reproduces by way of tiny spores and begins growing indoors when the spores land on wet surfaces. And the homes Katrina left standing have plenty of those.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, controlling moisture and eliminating mold growth can help contain potential damage to health and property. The agency recommends scrubbing mold off hard surfaces with detergent and water, and drying completely for small moldy areas in the home.

This woman is living in a Level IV Contaminated area. Professionals in HasMat suits are recommended for this much mold.

See:Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments - New York City Guidelines

Some homeowners struck by the storm surge have been told they need to strip their homes down to the wooden frame and yank out their carpeting for a thorough drying out.

That's true. But at this amount, pros should be doing it, wearing full protection.

Residents with asthma, organ transplants and emphysema are struggling with the growth more than others, describing coughing, irritated throats, dry mouths and trouble breathing. Many have launched into frenzied cleaning with bleach and water, trying to rid their homes of the mold while not knowing what, if any, dangers they face.

It is known what dangers they face. And bleach is not recommended by the EPA at all, except for smaller areas. The reason is that the spores react to it and they become "angry". They shoot off mycotoxins in defense as you are trying to kill them. Even after they are dead, non viable mold spores can still cause reaction when inhaled or eaten.

See: http://www.moldinspector.com/bleach-ineffective-mold.htm

But Dr. Gailen Marshall, an allergist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, cautions residents not to overreact.

Gailen Marshall is an ALLERGIST. He is not qualified to comment on toxic reactions. It would be highly unlikely that he has done any research on mycotoxins. Nor is he qualified to discuss psychological implications of patients. He is, however, a member of the ACAAI, of which Emil Bardana is President.

Dr. Bardana is a prolific expert witness in courtrooms denying the existance of mold induced illnesses caused by buildings and for the benefit of their clients who would have financial liability.

That's why when they are spinning, you will never see an allergist talk of the mycotoxins. They can't. Not qualified.

See this site for example of Dr. Bardana's previous work against a woman trying to get workers' comp for mold exposure: http://www.katu.com/team2/story.asp?ID=73443

While mold can pose significant health risks to those with seriously compromised immune systems, it does not generally threaten healthy individuals. Mold can cause disease in someone with an abnormal immune system, but mold doesn't create the abnormality.

Here is the spin. What is an abnormal immune system? One who got sick? We are genetically engineered differently, some are more susceptible. But I know people who have never been sick a day in their lives to become gravely ill after mold/toxin exposure. Apparently their immune systems were "abnormal". Of course one does not know if they are "abnormal" until they are exposed to excessive amounts of mold.

People with healthy immune systems can develop allergies with prolonged exposure to mold, also. "An allergy doesn't kill people but it certainly can make them miserable and dramatically compromise their quality of life," Marshall said.

Define "allergy". Is he only discussing Type I allergic reactions? Because Type III and IV Hypersensitivity Reactions can certainly kill you.

Hawthorne, who, along with her grandson, is asthmatic, complains of a dry mouth, and says her heart starts beating more quickly when she's around the mold. She dons a mask whenever she works in the house, which is mainly to wash her grandchildren's clothes.

"Once you open the door, it hits you in the face," she said. "I've just been coughing and coughing, like something wants to cut my wind off."

The mold is prevalent around the bottom of her granddaughter's room, where white and black spots have taken over the bottom half of the bedroom walls.

Talk of the so-called "black mold" is ubiquitous on the Coast. Stachybotrys chartarum, as it's scientifically known, is the classic black mold. Another type is Aspergillus, which can lead to an asthmatic condition that causes scarring in the lungs.

Different species of aspergillus produce toxins. Aflatoxins. Aflatoxins have been studied as biochemicals to be used in warfare. Aspergillus is a nasty mold. Because it is so prevelant, it has done much more damage to people than stachybotris.

But that condition is life threatening in less than 5 percent of the cases, Marshall said.
"A sense of concern is appropriate, a sense of urgency and panic is not appropriate," he said.

I would totally agree with this statement. But there is going to be panic if they don't get these doctors appropriately trained ASAP.

Marshall warns those cleaning their homes of mold to be wary of exposure to cleaning products in the zeal to scrub, as he has seen patients with lung damage under those circumstances. Cleaning should be done in well-ventilated areas, and he recommends purchasing a humidifier to help with the air quality.

Residents struggle to describe the smell that has taken over their homes.

"It just seems like an old, nasty smell, I guess," said Michael Mires, 26, a kidney transplant
recipient on anti-rejection medication.

This guy will most likely be dead soon if he stays in that environment. Molds are opportunistic. They will be settling in, in the area of his weakness.

He lives with his mother in a Gulfport apartment complex with water-soaked carpeting and says he's gotten so used to the stench, he doesn't always notice it.

The property owner says he plans to pull up the carpeting in the units but is still trying to repair roofs taken off by the storm.

Nearby, 42-year-old Regina Magee, who has emphysema, walks around her mold-infested home with a breathing tube and an oxygen tank.

Her breathing problems have been exacerbated since Katrina, and professional carpet cleaners told her the only thing she could do is pull up carpeting.

Her son had to wash her walls, and there is still black mold around her closet baseboard. She also complains of a phantom stench in her refrigerator she likens to cabbage. It returns despite periodic scrubbing and having emptied the refrigerator of all food after the storm.

She takes a baby photograph of her niece off her hallway wall and points to the mold growth on the back.

"I didn't want to throw my frame away. I know it's stupid, putting it back up," she said, as she
hanged the picture back on the wall.

Personal stories of danger

2005-10-08T17:12:00.000-04:00

Elevating a couple of comments to post level. These are personal stories that back up the science and criticism posted on this website. Please keep reading posts below for more info.

I lost my health to toxic mold. There are thousands of us that have been trying to tell the government for years that toxic mold causes such severe illness. There is legislation HB 1269 that was introduced a year ago and so many ill wait for help. They are not giving out the proper information to protect these poor people. They are in such danger if they do not wear protective clothing, masks, etc. I now have a chemical asthma/reactive airways disease and I would not wish this on anyone. Linda
Posted by Linda 7:41 AM

You are right to be concerned about hazards in the environment. You are also right to be concerned that the major media are choosing not to let the public know about the danger.I wrote a major newspaper centered in the heart of the hurricane-damaged area. My letter would have warned their readers not to trust simple dust masks for protection against chlorine fumes, mold, and toxic dust. The newspaper wouldn't print it. Instead, they directed me to the user forums (where, incidentally, far fewer people would see this vital information). The main message -- to GET AN OSHA-APPROVED FACE MASK (RESPIRATOR) -- is not being publicized. Unbelievable!

Rescue workers in NYC on 9-11 used those same simple dust masks, and they found out too late that they did not work. Many New Yorkers are now disabled because they relied on substandard safety equipment.It is almost unbearable to know that newspapers and other media outlets refuse to warn their readers, listeners, and viewers of these dangers.
Posted by Richard Khamsi 4:54 PM

This comment was emailed in response to something one of us posted to the Huffington Post:

Thank you for writing your article. A little over a year ago my niece, Kimberly, age 22, died of the most aggressive form of leukemia. Four months after 9-11 she left Emerson in Boston and moved into NYC to attend NYU as a student in journalism. Her apartment was not that far from "ground zero". The doctors who diagnosed Kim felt that it was her exposure to the contaminants from the terrorist attack, particularly benzene, that accounted for the onset of this disease in someone who did not have the dna makeup to combat the illness successfully with any known treatments. She died a year after diagnosis and went through hell trying to save her life. During the course of her illness we heard of other people, like rescue workers, firemen, and policemen who were coming down with the same aggressive type of leukemia. Kim was not only a victim of Osama Bin Laden, but a victim of Bush and his policies, and the rush to return to business as usual in NYC. Flip sides of the same coin. I fear for the people who will return to New Orleans….

A note from a New Orleans Refugee

2005-10-08T12:19:00.000-04:00

We are getting a lot of emails here, and many of them are moving. But we felt we had to share this one:

I am a refugee from New Orleans. My wife and I decided that we can not move our 8 month old and 4 year old sons back to the city because of the long term threat of pollution hazards. We made this decision early on, before the media was really discussing the toxic issue. My father is a retired neurosurgeon and researcher and made clear the numerous dangers, especially to children, in returning to the city. While this information should be all over the media, it is not. The general accepted thought is that returning is perfectly safe. We have numerous friends with small children that have already moved back to Jefferson Parish. When we try and warn them of the dangers, we come off as nuts because no one else is talking about this. I dread to see the long term consequences on the children. Why is no one discussing this and warning these parents?

Thank you for being a resource we can turn to for truth and support. Please stay vigilant and follow this through. We are counting on you.

Independent Testing Shows High Contamination in New Orleans

2005-10-07T10:52:00.000-04:00

This story is very worrisome. Despite continuing to offer assuring words about the health threat in New Orleans by Ray Nagin, his agencies, and sometimes the EPA, independent testing in New Orleans shows returning to the city for longterm exposure could be deadly.

Even as Ray Nagin told residents yesterday to come on home and drink up, according to The Advocate, "Wilma Subra, a New Iberia chemist overseeing the sampling project, said the results show that officials should not be allowing residents back home."

Additionally, says the report, Subra said the results mean residents could face both short-term and long-term health risks, which could include "respiratory problems, asthma, skin rashes and damage to internal organs -- and, potentially, cancer over the long-term."

Couple this news with the shocking Salon story yesterday, and warnings issued by the NRDC as well, and you can see that returning to New Orleans could be extremely dangerous.

BREAKING: Senators From Both Parties Come Down on EPA for New Orleans

2005-10-06T20:44:00.000-04:00

FINALLY, the Congress has awakened to the reality that the government is possibly sending people back to a dangerous situation in New Orleans and not fully clueing them in on the health risks. Note, these are both D's and R's. The public health should not be a partisan matter, and it is good to see that in this case, it is not.

Read the AP Story on it here:

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/nation/12836077.htm

Some choice quotes:

"EPA may not be providing people with the clear information they need," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. "EPA should be clear about the actual risks when people return to the affected areas for more than one day."

"The people of New Orleans need to feel safe, need to feel like there's a plan," said Sen. David Vitter, R-La.

The committee's chairman, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., expressed skepticism about the two-page government handouts on environmental and public health risks that EPA helped compile.
"It bothers me a little bit," Inhofe said. "How many people are going to see the report?"

Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt., called the government's response to Katrina "apparent chaos."

Some recalled the Bush administration's response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, when the White House directed EPA officials to minimize the health risk posed by the cloud of smoke from the World Trade Center collapse. Within 10 days of those attacks, EPA issued five news releases reassuring the public about air quality without testing for contaminants such as PCBs and dioxin.
It was only nine months later - after respiratory ailments began showing up in workers cleaning up the debris and residents of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn - that EPA could point to any scientific evidence, saying then that air quality had returned to pre-Sept. 11 levels.
"I hope that we're not seeing history repeat itself," said Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.

NEW ORLEANS: "You can't live in this place. You can't live down here"

2005-10-05T23:07:00.000-04:00

Salon today runs an absolutely damning story about the government's rush to get people back in the area and what they could be facing. It closes with the quote above from a woman who went back to look at her home.

We encourage everyone to read this story and send it around, along with the NRDC release below, which goes into some more detail about the situation. Returning to New Orleans without protection or for an extended stay is no joke. It could mean serious illness or death.

Some choice selections from the story (but please, read it all!)

Long-term risks from the pollutants now being found in and around New Orleans include cancer, birth defects, spontaneous abortions and asthma. The EPA has also underplayed the threat of mold. Health experts say trillions of mold spores, exacerbated by the late summer heat, could sicken a large population of children, people with asthma, older residents, and people with weakened immune systems, the New York Times reports.

Houck says some illnesses might not show up for years or may never be identified by health authorities. Katrina wiped out many impoverished communities in southern Louisiana, and often indigent people cannot afford to go to doctors. "They are going to get sick and they are not going to know why," Houck says.

Jean Kelly, a spokeswoman for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, says the agency would like to proceed with more caution, but allowing people to return to their homes "is not really our decision. We can advise the mayor, but it is his decision whether or not he wants to bring people back in. That is not something we have control over."

Some of the EPA data has confused Nagin himself. At a Sept. 19 press conference, Nagin said an EPA report to him on the danger of returning to some neighborhoods was confusing. "We also looked at the [EPA] report as it relates to flooded areas," Nagin said. "And it was a very clever attorney who wrote the report. So it basically bounced on both sides of the issue and didn't really tell you much."

Pressure to open New Orleans, says Kaufman of EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, is as intense today as it was on Wall Street soon after Sept. 11. "The appearance of 'back-to-normal' gets local industry going, then real estate, and so on," he says. "It's the same issue today, except that the locations and contaminants are different, and people talk with a different accent."

What's more, [St Bernard Parish President Steve Cannizaro] says, the parish of 68,000 residents "is one step away from being financially destroyed; businesses are flat on their ass." People need to return and start buying and building again. "You can't operate a government without taxes," he says.

"This is a potential catastrophe," [New York Congressman Jerrold Nadler] says today. "We don't want two catastrophes. We had maybe a thousand killed from the hurricane. You want another thousand killed because of the environment? Maybe five thousand?"

BREAKING: New Orleans Being Environmentally Tested for Real; SERIOUS Warnings Issued

2005-10-05T15:43:00.000-04:00

This was just sent out by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The group will be in New Orleans this week "to establish a program of independent toxicity testing, meet with community groups and scientists, and talk with local, state and federal officials."

The group is issuing some very serious warnings regarding the environmental health hazards, until testing can prove the area is safe:

Given the EPA's failure to properly inform returning residents, many are being exposed to toxic water, air, and sludge without protective clothing, respirators, or even simple face masks. Even emergency workers and local police have been going without protective clothing, which is required by EPA and Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations for toxic and oil cleanup efforts.
"People are getting sick today from the contamination in New Orleans," said Dr. Gina Solomon. "Worse still, this city is a time-bomb for future risks of asthma, respiratory disease, and even cancer from the pollution in the city."

The announcement also elaborates on where EPA testing is substandard:

Instead of using a more realistic two-week exposure duration to calculate the threat posed by such toxins as benzene and xylene, Dr. Solomon explained, the agency is using a much less realistic 24-hour exposure comparison, which understates the danger. According to EPA's own monitoring data, many returning residents are being exposed to benzene -- a known carcinogen and nerve toxin -- at levels significantly over the federal government's safety level for two-week exposure. In places near oil refineries, the agency found benzene levels higher than 40 times this safety level.

God bless the NRDC, the only ones looking out for the people of New Orleans.

Fifty Percent of Fish Die in New Orleans Flood Water

2005-10-05T09:01:00.000-04:00

Boy, talk about a newspaper doing spin for those like Ray Nagin who want people to come on back without knowing the real health effects. This story in The Advocate today makes it seem like things are just fine with the water in New Orleans. Fact is, when the flood waters were heavily diluted by the relatively clean water in Lake Ponchartrain, the toxicity was diluted. Duh! A tablespoon of arsenic is deadly, but if we take that tablespoon of arsenic and put it in 4000 gallons of water, that water is still relatively OK.

But note what happened when fish were exposed to pure flood water. When the flood water dries, leaving a toxic concentrate behind, does the situation still seem so rosy?

On Tuesday, DEQ released results of recent biotoxicity tests done in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These tests involve placing aquatic invertebrates and fish in floodwater samples being pumped from New Orleans...

Two additional samples showed a 50 percent mortality rate with a water
sample that was 100 percent flood water...

Toxic Mold in New Orleans Could Be Like Gulf War Syndrome

2005-10-04T10:31:00.000-04:00

We're not into advertising, and have not read this collection of peer-reviewed studies, but the 2004 study entitled, "Mold and Mycotoxins: Papers from an International Symposium," suggests some very disturbing effects of exposure to toxic mold of the same type growing without abandon in New Orleans. The summary, found here (with information on how to buy the entire report), states:

Physiological functions and brain scans (single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and quantitative electroencephalograms) were abnormal. Mechanisms of mold damage to brain cells resemble those for Gulf War Syndrome, chemical intolerance, and exposure to chlorine, ammonia, or hydrogen sulfid (“rotten egg”) gases. Clear evidence of brain impairment in several hundred people controverts questions and charges of malingering and secondary gain.

Last evening on CNN, as well, a Lou Dobbs report made clear that nearly everyone is questioning the wisdom of Mayor Nagin's decision to let people back in to the city. Most people are showing proper caution and not coming at all, or coming back to look and then leaving immediately.

New Slogan For New Orleans?

2005-10-03T15:27:00.000-04:00

A little humor from today's Candorville here:

http://www.comics.com/wash/candorville/archive/images/candorville2732580051003.gif

What's Mold Got to Do With It?

2005-10-03T12:12:00.000-04:00

We all have heard now about the "toxic mold" growing in houses in New Orleans. Yet, people are being allowed back into the city, as buildings with mold are being raized and the mold spores travel around. What could the effect be from exposure to this mold? See this 1999 USA Today article...

IT STARTED with a series of leaks. Within a year, Melinda Ballard's 11,500-square foot Texas dream home was quarantined; her 3-year-old son, Reese, was on daily medication to treat scarred, asthmatic lungs; her husband, Ron Allison, had lost his memory along with his job; and the family was living out of suitcases and locked in a seemingly endless battle with their insurance company. The problem? Household mold.

Most comprehensive story to date on New Orleans

2005-09-30T21:31:00.000-04:00

Michelle Chen with the New Standard is quickly proving to be the most hard-working reporter in so far as the enviro situation. Read this story in its entirety, but note this quote:

Marjorie Clarke, an environmental scientist with the City University of New York, predicted that many residents will see no choice but to risk their health to clean their homes. Despite the government’s responsibility to protect people during disaster recovery, she said, "telling people to come in and take care of whatever needs to be taken care of themselves… is basically encouraging people to have exposures to toxic materials."

New CNN Story on New Orleans Health Risks

2005-09-30T15:48:00.000-04:00

Pretty good story at CNN on the health risks people face when they come back:

"The potential for any long-lasting effects depends on the degree of exposure.... how long people are exposed" to contaminated sediments, bacteria-laden floodwater or other health hazards, said Dr. Henry Falk, director for environmental health and injury prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of course, the length of exposure all depends on how long people stay around an uncleaned, contaminated area. Unfortunately, without rigorous testing and a proper cleanup, many people could unknowingly be returning home to face lethal exposure.

EPA Chief Declines to Say If He'd Move His Family Back to New Orleans

2005-09-29T17:54:00.000-04:00

Buried at the end of this story are some vital points:

First, Federal and State officials have some problems with the Mayor's plan to bring people back, some of them environmental.

Second, despite these concerns, the EPA won't take a position on the Mayor's plan to move people back in.

Third, EPA Administrator Johnson won't even say if he'd move his family back to the area if he was a resident. To us, that's about as good as a "no" answer.

By NOT endorsing the plan, the EPA is protecting itself and the Feds against civil action from people who may get seriously ill and/or die as a result of exposure to the toxins in New Orleans.

But also by not advising people to not move back, when it is clear they have concerns, the EPA is acting with nonfeasance as it relates to their mission to protect human health.

New Orleans Environment - Why YOU Should Care

2005-09-29T14:02:00.000-04:00

Shifting gears a little from the toxic problem to the bacteria problem in New Orleans...

This Reuters piece reports there are 22 million tons of contaminated waste (including rotting food waste) in New Orleans. How does this affect you if you're not in New Orleans?

Well, all testing of water and muck in New Orleans documents extremely high levels of pathogens. Most of the tap water is not potable and the Mayor was shown on CNN last night pleading with the State to come down and test the tapwater. The Mayor also said that most of the tap water is not safe to drink. If people drink the water, they can take in a whole lot of things you don't want taken in.

The flood waters that covered New Orleans were filled with sewage. There are many reports saying that there are numerous flies in New Orleans, and that the air smells putrid in many parts of the City. The air smells putrid because of the many pathogens travelling through the air. As we know, flies are also "transporters" of disease that can easily be picked up from this toxic sewage water.

The effects of that are already being seen. According to Doctors treating folks from down there, people exposed to the waters are showing signs of unique infections, and five people have already been reported as having died from exposure to pathogens down there.

Notwithstanding all this, the Mayor is opening up New Orleans, except the flooded areas, for everyone to come back. Bringing 100,000+ people into an environment like that increases the risk of epidemics.

THIS IS A VERY VERY RISKY AND DANGEROUS SITUATION. The more people that return, the greater the odds someone (or some people) pick up a serious infectious disease from the air, water, or bugs. If an epidemic starts down there it could spread to other parts of the country.

What starts in New Orleans won't stay in New Orleans. No one should be allowed back until the area has been tested and cleared to be safe.

Local environmental chemist says officials in N.O. and the surrounding parishes are underestimating the post-Katrina health hazard

2005-09-28T11:28:00.000-04:00

This article really gets to the point very well - no one knows what in the hell being around New Orleans will do to you longterm. Ray Nagin has a local, independent chemist who is willing to tell him why he shouldn't base his decisions on the EPA's data. I wonder if he'll pick up the phone and give her a buzz?

http://www.theind.com/news2.asp?CID=1032994681

I would think statements like this would make him take pause:

The possible long-term effects are unknown. “Infertility, miscarriages, possibly cancer,” she speculates. “Nobody knows what the effects are going to be. The bottom line — if [the people of New Orleans] don’t have to return home, they shouldn’t.”

If heading to New Orleans, wear a respirator...

2005-09-27T13:29:00.000-04:00

This story is on the Knight Ridder wire. Finally a story that stresses that there is no idea what long term exposure to the New Orleans environment could do. Also, check out this ominous warning:

Health officials recommend that everyone in the city wear a respirator mask. As the city dries out, dust will be a problem. Breathing dust under any circumstances is unhealthy, but the dust in New Orleans may contain contaminants, they said.

BREAKING: EPA Testers Privately Telling People New Orleans is Off the Charts

2005-09-26T00:23:00.000-04:00

CBS News is running this blog from one of their guys down in New Orleans, which includes, in part:

The teams working in St. Bernard Parish, which is now an enormous toxic waste dump, are waking up with sore throats and other respiratory ailments. Privately, the EPA testers have told them that all the pollutants and environmental toxins are way off the scale. No one is looking to stay there long.

If this is true, there must be an immediate stop to any plans to repopulate and an immediate fullscale investigation into the EPA and what they are holding back.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press is reporting in this story that the sludge and everything else was stirred up by new flooding in New Orleans due to Rita, and they have no idea if there were any breaches at any hazardous sites. Just more reason to slow everything down.

Scientist Urges More New Orleans Air Testing

2005-09-24T08:58:00.000-04:00

The Advocate runs this piece today about a scientist that has worked with a number of enviromental groups urging that more comprehensive air testing be done before people are allowed back in New Orleans.

She makes a number of points that we have. The most important, though, is that as sediment dries and blows around, it leaves restricted areas and is carried to areas that people have been allowed back to. Thus, nowhere in the city can be declared safe for rehabitation, even once the waters from Hurricane Rita are pumped out and the levees repaired.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/092405/new_testing001.shtml

Best Piece Yet on New Orleans Enviro

2005-09-23T17:13:00.000-04:00

Bravo to Michelle Chen at the New Standard for putting together what is, we think, the most complete story on the New Orleans environmental health situation as of yet. It's hard to write about this with so many unknowns, but this piece manages to put everything together.

http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/2395

Newest EPA Release on New Orleans, "Yeah, um, we don't know."

2005-09-23T15:47:00.000-04:00

Hey, at least give them points for finally being honest that their air sampling methods are not reliable and shouldn't be used for anything. We'll see if reporters finally note that in their stories. Here are some snippets from their latest release today on their air sampling.

"Because samples were not collected with standard monitors, the mix of particles in the screening samples cannot easily be compared to EPA's standards...."

"These data were collected using a portable, battery-powered monitor that often is used in emergency response situations, because it gives immediate readings. EPA does not use data from these types of monitors either for compliance purposes or for generating routine air quality advisories...."

"These initial results represent the beginning of extensive sampling efforts and do not represent all air conditions throughout the area. As this is a dynamic situation, general conclusions should not be made regarding air quality based on results from this snapshot of data. For sampling information, go to: http://www.epa.gov/katrina/testresults/air/dataram.html..."

Sediment Samples in New Orleans Are Out

2005-09-22T21:14:00.000-04:00

The EPA has put up its latest sample data from sediment collections and it's worrisome to say the least. They readily admit there's some bacteria and a few metals, but again their tests have a couple of glaring omissions. Namely Benzene and Toluene.

http://www.epa.gov/katrina/testresults/sediments/index.html

Benzene and Toluene are prevalent in petroleum products like oil and gas. Yet neither can be found in the test results. About a week ago the EPA said it couldn't find Toluene and Benzene in the water because petroleum products were so dense in the water and lots had sunk into the sediment. Yet, they are not finding it in the sediment either?

We all know there is a lot of petroleum products in that water and sediment - the EPA has admitted as much. But to acknowlege the existance of it without finding Toluene and Benzene is like testing water and not finding hydrogen or oxygen.

But don't take our word for it, find out more right here:

Most studies have been done on benzene which is the only proven carcinogen. Benzene is suspected to be link to leukemia which is a disease of the blood making system in our bones. Strong evidence between long term exposure to benzene and leukemia have been found. Upon exposure to benzene, the benzene will move into the blood stream. From the blood stream it can get into fatty tissues where it can undergo reactions that produce phenol, which is an even more serious carcinogen than benzene.

The inhalation of toluene and xylenes in concentrations of 0.4 mg/l causes headache, dizziness and irritation of the mucous membranes. In higher concentrations toluene and xylenes can led to a reduced ability of co-ordination. Long term exposure of toluene and xylenes have been proven to cause brain damage, but neither of them are carcinogens.

One way that these can enter the body is not only from direct exposure to the water or sediment, but also through vapors (that "putrid smell" everyone talks about down there). This is why respirators must be given out. Further, when the sediment dries and becomes dust, it can spread these contaminants as it is agitated by the wind, sweeping, etc.

We're not going to say the EPA is lying, because we can't prove they are knowingly covering something up, yet, but we can say with certainty that their tests are flawed and/or incomplete and no media should base any story on this data and no decisions by government should be based on it.

Pollutants around New Orleans

2005-09-22T20:40:00.000-04:00

OMB Watch has a comprehensive report on all the facilities that contained hazardous materials. While not all the materials were released, a good number of them were. This is why there needs to be comprehensive testing done in the area before the government moves people back in.

Check out the report here:

http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/3088

Also be sure to sign their petition to get the EPA to do its job!!

http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ombwatch/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1198

Feed was off

2005-09-22T15:25:00.000-04:00

Apparently our feed was turned off for like a week and a half. Sorry about that. To those subscribing, yes, we are updating this all the time. Please check the dozens of posts you've missed.

No Procedure in Place to Monitor New Orleans' Worker Health

2005-09-22T11:39:00.000-04:00

This Gannett story is disturbing because, as it mentions, this is yet another parallel to the screw-up by the Feds after 9/11 in New York.

"The federal government has no comprehensive program in place to monitor the physical and mental health of emergency workers serving in polluted and stressful conditions along the devastated Gulf Coast."

In New York, the health monitoring system came under heavy fire. First, it started too late. Second, the screening was pathetic. Recent estimates are that 75% of the 9/11 first responders have become sick, and there are some gut wrenching stories about some who have died, because of their exposure to the toxic environment at Ground Zero. New Orleans first responders must be adequately protected and properly monitored, beginning immediately.

EPA to New Orleans Residents - You're on your own!

2005-09-22T10:01:00.000-04:00

In this Department of Homeland Security release is this news:

EPA mobile labs in the New Orleans area are distributing 700 drinking water sample test kits to Parish Health Units for use by private well owners. There are a total of 683 drinking water facilities In the Louisiana affected area that serves approximately 2.8 million people.

Not only should people who are not scientifically trained never test their water for safety, but these home water sample testing kits do not measure the levels of toxic chemicals in the water, so there will be a lot of people who think the water is OK, when, in fact, they could be drinking a deadly brew. EPA, under the National Response Plan, is the lead agency responsible for doing all of this, and they must immediately cease and desist passing the buck to untrained civilians. Only professionals should test the water before people are allowed to consume it.

This is not the first time the EPA has passed the buck, sadly. In this September 14th press release, they suggest way people can handle asbestos right after they say it can cause cancer and mesothelioma and should not be handled!! Talk about talking out both sides of your mouth!

· If you know or suspect that your home contains asbestos or lead-based paint and any of these materials have been damaged or will otherwise be disturbed during cleanup, seek the assistance of public health authorities and try to obtain help from specially trained contractors, if available.

· In handling materials that are believed to be contaminated with asbestos or lead, EPA recommends that, at a minimum, you wear gloves, goggles, and most importantly, OSHA-approved respiratory protection, if available.

It is illegal for anyone or any agency to recommend to civilians ways they can handle asbestos. Such material should never, under any circumstances, be handled by someone not licensed.

Will the toxic cleanup of New Orleans be politicized?

2005-09-21T17:00:00.000-04:00

Great piece in E (The Environmental Magazine) on what has not been told to the people of New Orleans. You can read the whole piece here.

The key segment of the article is this, though. Come on EPA. Be straight with the people:

"Is it safe to bring an 11-year-old boy back in there? We want the latest scientific information. We want to be assured that there will be monitoring. What happened to the Cancer Alley chemical plants? Weren't they flooded? We don't want to be told in 25 years that the reason we all got horrible diseases was because of our exposure in the wake of the storm.

"Millions of Gulf Coast residents face difficult choices like this, and the federal government could help with clear information about toxic threats and advice on how people should cope as the rebuilding effort gets underway. Unfortunately, Congress and the Bush administration seem more concerned with image building and with scoring political points than in assisting the citizenry. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency is coming under withering criticism for its failure to provide timely data. "

Jerry Nadler to Bush on New Orleans Environment: Learn from the Mistakes of 9/11

2005-09-21T11:07:00.000-04:00

We're big fans of Rep. Jerry Nadler, and hope he gets an answer to some of these questions. We'll see if the EPA responds.

Nadler to Bush: Learn from the Mistakes of 9/11

Urges President, EPA, to protect Katrina victims from environmental dangers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) today wrote to President Bush, urging him not to repeat the mistakes the federal government made after 9/11 as recovery efforts get underway on the Gulf Coast. Congressman Nadler, who represents Ground Zero, watched four years ago as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prematurely declared Lower Manhattan safe for reoccupation – and now thousands are sick. Unfortunately, EPA’s handling of the Katrina cleanup shows much of the same haste and denial.

Among the most troubling signs that the federal government is taking a lax approach to cleanup are EPA’s recommendation that average citizens tackle asbestos cleanup, the failure to provide emergency workers with respirators, and – perhaps most frightening – reports that the White House has appointed political guru Karl Rove to head the reconstruction effort.

In his letter, Nadler asked for concrete answers to nine specific questions about the federal government’s commitment to environmental protection in the wake of Katrina. The full text of the letter appears below.

September 21, 2005

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

I write regarding environmental conditions on the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. As you know, the September 11 terrorist attacks in my district produced severe and widespread environmental contamination. When the Twin Towers collapsed, thousands of tons of hazardous materials, such as asbestos, lead, and mercury, were released into the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has yet to properly test and clean up the areas contaminated by the attacks. I am deeply concerned that many of the same mistakes made by EPA in response to 9/11 are being repeated on the Gulf Coast.

I am pleased that you recently expressed concerns about contamination levels in the remaining floodwaters and the muck left behind in drained areas of the city. However, EPA needs to do more to warn and shield people returning to New Orleans from exposure to hazardous contaminants. EPA must do now what it so tragically failed to do in New York: comprehensively test the entire affected area for all possible contaminants and completely clean those areas before people are allowed to return to their homes and businesses.

A troubling example of EPA’s failure to protect Americans affected by Hurricane Katrina can be found in this guidance to people returning to homes and businesses: “In handling materials that are believed to be contaminated with asbestos or lead, EPA recommends that, at a minimum, you wear gloves, goggles, and most importantly, OSHA-approved respiratory protection, if available” (EPA Press Release, 9/14/05). This is eerily reminiscent of EPA’s post-9/11 suggestion that New Yorkers clean up debris containing asbestos with a “wet rag or wet mop” – a statement that directly contradicts federal guidelines, endangers people’s lives, and has already become the subject of lawsuits against the federal government.

In both cases, this advice is dangerous and illegal. Under no circumstances should ordinary residents clean up asbestos. The removal and disposal of asbestos must be carried out only by licensed contractors in compliance with regulations and procedures designed to protect the public health and environment. But because – just as in New York – many of the people returning to the Gulf Coast lack the means to hire contractors, residents will likely be tempted to clean up hazardous debris themselves, or to hire low-wage workers to do the job. It is absolutely essential, therefore, that EPA test for hazardous substances and fully remediate contaminated areas before people are allowed to return.

It is additionally troubling that, despite the recommendation that people wear OSHA-approved respirators when cleaning up hurricane debris, it appears that many of the responders and contractors working on the Katrina recovery effort are not wearing such protection. A photo on the front page of the Washington Post on September 17, 2005 shows Dwanda Tyler, a FEMA contractor, cleaning up debris in the French Quarter wearing nothing but a paper mask (attachment 1). The very next day, the front page of the Washington Post shows other contractors, also in the French Quarter, wearing complete protective suits and respirators (attachment 2).

Why are some contractors given respirators and protective suits but not others? Many of the emergency responders who worked at the World Trade Center were not issued respirators to protect themselves from the toxic fires that burned for months at the site. Now, approximately 75 percent of them are sick, and some have already died. We cannot allow the government to once again send recovery workers into harm’s way without adequate protection.

In August 2003, the EPA Inspector General (IG) investigated the agency’s response to the September 11 attacks. The IG report found that the limited, unscientific cleanup of selected sites around Ground Zero performed by EPA did not comply with federal laws that govern protection of the public health and environment. The IG report also found disturbing evidence that the White House instructed the EPA to downplay post-9/11 air quality and public health concerns in New York City. I fear that similar negligence and shoddiness will characterize the recovery in New Orleans in the absence of steady leadership and accountability.

It has been reported that you put Karl Rove in charge of the recovery operation (New York Times, September 14, 2005). Do his responsibilities include environmental remediation? If so, what qualifications does Mr. Rove possess that would justify putting him in charge of the health and safety of hundreds of thousands of Americans? If not, who is the individual ultimately in charge of the environmental remediation process?

Despite recent qualified statements from the federal government that the environment is hazardous, EPA has still released very little information regarding the extent of the contamination, and exactly what the agency is doing to follow its federally mandated procedures and protect the health of the public and emergency responders.

The following questions must be answered to restore public confidence in the federal government’s handling of the recovery from Hurricane Katrina:

· Has EPA carried out an environmental assessment – not just spot samples – of the entire affected area, including sampling the soil, water and air for all pathogens and hazardous substances?
· Has EPA determined risk for all pathways of exposure – inhalation, ingestion and direct contact?
· Has EPA tested for any specific bacteria, viruses, or fungi other than E. coli?
· Has EPA conducted a hazard ranking of the affected area in accordance with the regulations and procedures under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the National Contingency Plan?
· Has EPA released all sampling data to the public, including a detailed sampling plan, detection limits and quality assurance documentation?
· Has EPA initiated any action to hold liable oil and chemical companies that have released toxic chemicals into the environment, or to assist with the cleanup of industrial releases?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” please provide an adequate explanation.

There are also many unanswered questions about how people returning to the Gulf Coast are supposed to follow government advice given the limitations of the infrastructure:

· The federal government recommends immediately washing any part of the body that comes into contact with the contaminated water or dirt. Where can people in areas with unsafe tap water find uncontaminated water?
· The federal government says the water contains unsafe levels of E. coli and lead. How will boiling the water, as recommended by the government, reduce the lead concentrations?
· How will people boil water in areas without electricity and gas?

Clearly, people should not return to the Gulf Coast until EPA does its job. After 9/11, we let people rush back into contaminated areas. It is imperative that we learn from those mistakes. If we fail to do so, more people will become sick, and possibly even die, because the federal government did not carry out its responsibilities under the law. The Environmental Protection Agency must take action immediately to protect the health of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Thank you for attention to this matter. I look forward to a prompt and substantive response.

Sincerely,

Jerrold Nadler
Member of Congress

cc: EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson
Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen
Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco
Mayor Ray Nagin

###

One of the best stories yet

2005-09-20T17:07:00.000-04:00

Disaster News Network has a very comprehensive piece about the environmental uncertainty in New Orleans, almost from A-Z. Check it out here:

http://www.disasternews.net/news/news.php?articleid=2844

AP: Confusion on when New Orleans will be safe

2005-09-20T15:37:00.000-04:00

The moral of this AP story is that because testing is so flawed and incomplete, no one knows how bad the environmental impact has been in New Orleans, or how long it will take to clean up.

Opinions in the story range from:

"It [the environmental damage] could indeed redraw the map of New Orleans..."

to

"I expect there is a good chance that much of New Orleans will be able to return largely unscathed from long-term chemical contamination..."

In the end, the only way to guarantee the damage is minimal is to do proper testing and a complete, thorough, and professional cleanup where needed.

What the EPA and Others Missed in New Orleans

2005-09-20T13:34:00.000-04:00

Steve Breyman of the Citizens' Environmental Coalition has a fantastic piece up at CounterPunch about all the various contaminants in New Orleans and how the Feds missed them. This is a must read for anyone who wants to know what the environmental quality could really be.

Read the article here:
http://www.counterpunch.org/breyman09202005.html

Nagin Suspends Return

2005-09-19T17:05:00.000-04:00

As the song goes, the cheese now stands alone. The EPA is the only agency/person left saying there is not a significant problem if people return to New Orleans. We will have to wait to see if Nagin stays sensible after Hurrricane Rita passes.

Ray Nagin Suspends New Orleans Return

UPDATE: We have been told by people who saw the whole press conference that one of the last questions to the Mayor was whether the environment had something to do with his decision. Apparently he said something to the effect of that the first report he got from the EPA said everything was safe, but he recently got a second report that looked like lawyers wrote it to excuse the EPA from liability for their projections. He seemed pissed to say the least. If anyone can get us a source on this, it would be appreciated.

If Love Canal was a Fly, New Orleans is an Elephant

2005-09-19T16:35:00.000-04:00

Today, Newsweek publishes this interview with Hugh Kaufman, who was instrumental in getting the truth out about the environmental quality in New York after the fall of the World Trade Center.

This quote is striking:

If Love Canal is a fly, then this is an elephant—in terms of environment and public-health effects.

Bush Questions Return to New Orleans, cites environmental concerns

2005-09-19T12:23:00.000-04:00

Well, even a Democrat like me has to give props when it is due. President Bush, according to the AP, is backing up his FEMA Chief's concerns about the return to New Orleans. The AP reports:

In addition, Bush said there are significant environmental concerns. New Orleans
still lacks drinkable water, and there are fears about the contamination levels
in the remaining floodwaters and the muck left behind in drained areas of the
city.

Interesting, since the EPA and CDC keep trying to convince reporters that contamination levels are below a level of concern. Some reporters are buying it hook, line, and sinker.

A Tale of Two New Orleans'

2005-09-19T10:47:00.000-04:00

(Source: AFP/ Getty)

Amazing. Government workers and pros get the full toxic suit treatment, but looks like that's not good enough for the cheap labor or civilians. Both of these pictures were taken around the same time in the French Quarter. So why are some getting moon suits to wear, while others are left to inhale whatever is around??

(Source: Reuters)

EPA Shuts Out Press, Public on New Orleans

2005-09-19T10:30:00.000-04:00

Two editorials hit the nail on the head today about the EPA. The agency is refusing to release some test results or honor Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by journalists. It is therefore impossible to really tell what the quality of the air, soil, and water is, or the long term effects of exposure to the toxic contaminants in that area could be.

Check out the editorials in The Ledger and the Houston Chronicle.

Safety Tips for Returning to New Orleans

2005-09-18T10:20:00.000-04:00

If you or someone you know is returning to New Orleans, here are some helpful hints to protect yourself from the possible toxic environment. Remember, FEMA Director Allen is saying troops are treating the area like a toxic environment, and you should do the same:

If you might get wet from the water, cover your body with water proof gear.

Wear rubber gloves and goggles.
Always wash, especially your hands, with strong soap.
If you are in areas that the air has a smell, wear a tight fitting respirator with cartridges that will protect your lungs from spores and volatile organic compounds.
Drink only bottled water and insure that any food you eat may not have come into contact with toxic dust or water.
Make sure anything you wash (e.g. utensils, plates, clothing) is washed in safe water.
Do not wash clothing that may have been contaminated with uncontaminated clothing.

For more information on choosing the right protective gear, visit the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's website on the matter here.

Of course, the 100% sure way to stay safe is to stay away from the area until validated testing is done that declares the area safe to return to.

Hooray for... FEMA?

2005-09-17T21:20:00.000-04:00

Yes, the same FEMA that had bungled the rescue operation for weeks is now acting more responsibly (perhaps because they bungled the rescue operation for weeks and have to do the right thing now).

New FEMA Director Allen is calling out Mayor Nagin on his decision to send people back into the area, citing, among other things, the health threat. The AP reports:

NEW ORLEANS - The mayor of New Orleans has set up an "extremely problematic" timeline for allowing residents to return to the evacuated city, which is still threatened by a weakened levee system, a lack of drinkable water and heavily polluted floodwaters, the head of the federal relief effort said Saturday.

Not only that, Mayor Nagin's own Homeland Security Director Terry Ebbert also seems to be separating himself from the Mayor, saying the French Quarter will be monitored "day to day" and wouldn't commit to the Mayor's promise to have people back in there within a week and a half.

Finally, FEMA is doing the right thing by taking all precautions for their people:

Allen said another concern for returning residents is the flood water that remains on the streets and in houses, the residue of which remains throughout flooded areas that are now dry and is also a health threat. Allen said troops undergo decontamination after they are done working in the water. "They are decontaminating themselves as they would if they were operating in a toxic environment," he said.

Until there is scientifically sound and validated environmental air, soil, and water testing in New Orleans and the surrounding areas, any sort of declarative statements about the quality of the environment and relative safety need to stop, and Mayor Nagin and the EPA need to tell people that if they return, they could possibly be walking into a toxic disaster that will have long-term health effects. If toxic decontamination procedures are good enough for the troops they are good enough for the citizens of the area who are being told to come back home.

N.O. Water is Toxic. No wait, it's not. No, wait, it is.

2005-09-17T11:25:00.000-04:00

Another day, another set of reports that represent completely different views of the same story.

Reuters declares that yesterday findings were released that show "New Orleans is not a Toxic Gumbo." Their lede declares:

"New Orleans has not became a hazardous waste site coated in a toxic stew as originally feared, although many flooded areas are coated with a smelly sludge, experts said on Friday."

The Associated Press runs the headline, "Fuel Oils in Sediment in New Orleans." Their lede is:

"A new health risk emerged Friday from the sediment of New Orleans — test results showing that diesel and fuel oils, which can take years to break down, make up as much as a 10th of the weight of some sediment samples."

How is this possible? How can two reports draw different conclusions from the same facts? The fact of the matter is that all of the testing in New Orleans so far is not scientifically sound. As described in an earlier post, the air testing that has been done so far is non-validated, and never, ever, ever intended to sample contaminants in the air.

As for the sediment and the water, EPA administrator Johnson told the LA Times that they are having problems separating out chemicals in the water and sediment because the petroleum is just too pervasive. You can not make any definitive statements about the water like Reuters' sources did, saying "New Orleans has not become a hazardous waste site."

When chemicals cannot be sampled according to guidelines (obviously, as they admit, they couldn't accurately sample chemicals), the testing must be peer viewed to be validated. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) makes it pretty clear that it's better to be safe than to be sorry:

"All protocols, studies, and results of research that ATSDR carries out or funds in whole or in part; and studies that have not previously been peer reviewed that are intended to be used in the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry(ATSDR) Toxicological Profiles must be peer reviewed according to this policy."

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/science/prpolicy.html

Reuters nor AP nor anyone has seen the peer-reviewed results, because I'm pretty sure they don't exist (otherwise they'd be released). Thus the testing is not validated or scientifically sound. The difference is, the Reuters story quotes a government scientist, while the AP goes outside to independent sources. Surprise, surprise, independent scientists are much more cynical of government tests than government experts.

Could people be coming back to a "toxic gumbo" this weekend because outlets like Reuters lead them to believe it is OK?

You betcha.

EPA Admits No One Knows What is in the Air

2005-09-16T17:17:00.000-04:00

Well, buried in a news release is this information:

As sediments begin to dry, EPA will perform air sampling to monitor potential inhalation risks and will also assess long-term exposure scenarios. (LINK)

This proves what we've been saying. No air sampling as been done, and no one knows the risk of breathing the air in New Orleans or what effect it will have! And yet, this morning, news outlets parroted the line that "tests showed the air is safe to breathe despite the putrid smell."

Further, it will take months for the sediment to dry everywhere, meaning, they'll have no real idea of how safe the air is for some time.

Our source in the media tells us that the New Orleans Department of Environmental Quality says this means people shouldn't go back to areas that were flooded. That's somewhat comical, because that would suggest the air above flooded areas has not moved at all and transported hazardous particles.

Who Will Pay to Clean New Orleans?

2005-09-16T12:11:00.000-04:00

A well done piece from CBS News last evening can be found here that examines that question.

"The EPA has not done a thorough assessment of the contamination of that parish or any other parishes that have been contaminated."
-Hugh Kaufman, EPA
senior policy analyst.

This the 1st mainstream TV media piece, we're aware of, on paying for environmental clean-up from oil and hazardous material clean-up. If EPA does not do an environmental damage assessment, the taxpayers and the home and property owners may end up paying for environmental clean-up costs. Not the oil company or the insurance companies.

If you watch the piece, note that the workers cleaning the streets are not wearing respirators to protect themselves from the cancer causing material that is in the air. Sadly, this is a scene that has, and will, be repeated in the affected areas all over the gulf. This happened in New York after 9/11 and now 70% of the first responders are sick and some have now died from the toxic exposure.

When the Feds don't do their job, the little guys can suffer and die. Shameful.

Toxins Could be Around for YEARS

2005-09-16T11:06:00.000-04:00

Great piece on Bloomberg News right now, just chocked full of good stuff. Read the entire story here. But here is the money quote:

The flooded areas include more than 60 chemical plants, oil refineries and
petroleum storage facilities, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
records. The full extent of the damage won't come into complete focus until the
water that swamped 80 percent of the city is pumped out, a process the Army
Corps of Engineers says may take until mid-October.

``It's a nightmare,'' said Jay Grimes, director of the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. ``There's so much unknown material in that water. You have to assume there's a lot of toxic material. Some of it could stick around for months or years.''

We simply don't know what chemicals and toxic materials are in that water and sludge or how long it will take to properly clean it up. Every time it is distrupted, it is released into the air. When it dries and becomes dusty, it will be released into the air even more.

Real testing must be done before people can be told it's safe to come back.

The air is safe to breathe...

2005-09-16T09:19:00.000-04:00

New York

"Well, if there's any good news out of all this it's that everything we've tested for, which includes asbestos, lead, and VOC's, have been below any level of concern for the general public health. " - EPA Administrator Whitman, 9/13/2001 in New York

Yet, that wasn't good enough for the EPA itself, which tested and found high levels of contaminants at the EPA's home at 290 Broadway, so the building was evacuated and professionally abated.

New Orleans

"The plan to reopen came a day after government tests showed that New Orleans' putrid air is safe to breathe..." - Associated Press, Sept 16.

But apparently not safe enough for the Nagin family. Ray Nagin Buys Home in Dallas, Moves Family There.

The Toxic Stew

2005-09-15T17:08:00.000-04:00

So EPA testing isn't showing a whole lot of chemicals coming up in their testing. Check out this handy-dandy set of links from the National Environmental Trust.

LINK 1 is a chart from 2003 showing toxic chemical data in the New Orleans area by parish

LINK 2 is a chart showing toxic chemical data by chemical

So that's what was all around New Orleans. Yet EPA's testing doesn't detect most of these chemicals?

New Orleans is going to breathe again... breathe WHAT?!

2005-09-15T14:02:00.000-04:00

New Orleans Mayor Nagin says beginning this weekend they are going to start allowing hundreds of thousands back into the area. He says "New Orleans will breathe again."

Breathe what? The testing performed of the air in the area was done by an ASPECT plane, that uses infrared to screen for air pollution. It is not intended to sample and measure levels of harmful substances in the air after a disaster.

The EPA's own website states, "All data produced through the use of the ASPECT (Airborne Spectral imagery of Environmental Contaminants Technology) are non-validated and are used by EPA and other agencies for screening purposes only to assess immediate environmental hazards. "

Mayor Nagin and the EPA have no idea if the air is really safe. As areas have water pumped out and sludge containing chemicals and heavy metals are left, they can be easily introduced into the air via dust, making the air quality even worse than it already is.

We wonder if anyone has asked the EPA and Mayor Nagin if they considered this, and if so, why they think the area is safe to repopulate?

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

2005-09-15T13:04:00.000-04:00

If you’re in Chicago, New Orleans is safe! But wait, if you’re in Los Angeles, New Orleans could be a very dangerous place to return to. Washington, DCers think everything is fine, but New Yorkers can’t be so sure. What gives? Depending on what morning paper you get, the story about New Orleans’ environmental integrity is completely varied.

Just take a look at the headlines:

“Finally, good news for Big Easy: EPA OKs city air; Bush aides pin hopes on speech”
-Chicago Tribune (subscription required)

“Toxic Threat Still Vague but Ominous, EPA Says: Health risks are many but the measurements are inconclusive, agency chief says. Some contend the tests are inadequate.”
- Los Angeles Times

“Floods' Pollutants Within the Norm: Oil Spills Seen as the Only Exception”
- Washington Post (subscription required)

“E.P.A. Struggles to Determine Extent of Hazards in Sludge”
- The New York Times (subscription required)

What’s this all mean? It means EPA testing of the flood waters in the region shows no danger for a lot of chemicals and heavy metals, but only does so because the testing is seriously flawed. One simple way of proving the testing is seriously lacking credibility is that all test samples showed zero presence of benzene, a key ingredient in oil and gasoline. Anyone with a set of eyeballs can see the oil sheen on top of the water, and anyone who knows something about the area knows much of the economy is based on the petroleum industry. No one argues that oil spills were heavy.

So why didn’t benzene show up in the testing? Again, depends what paper you are reading. According to the New York Times, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said “early tests did not look for hazardous petrochemical byproducts like benzene because the presence of oil and gasoline was obvious.”

Oh. OK. But if you look at the test results here it says benzene was “sampled but not found.”

So, let’s check that, then. The Los Angeles Times reports the EPA didn’t find benzene because, Johnson said, “petroleum residue has been absorbed into the dirt. [Johnson] said the soil and other sediment contain so much petroleum-based material that it is hard to isolate specific compounds in the tests.”

How is it possible that Stephen Johnson said they did and they didn’t test for benzene at the same time? Because that’s the name of the game for the EPA these days. Confuse, confound, cover-up. The more they can spin the real story into a confusing mess for reporters, the more likely it will be that reporters will throw up their hands and simply report the agency’s party line. Unfortunately, the agency long ago gave up on its mission to protect the public health, and took up a new mission to make the administration it serves look good and protect the corporate interests that are “friendly” to it. Sadly, there are few reporters left willing to do what it takes to really challenge the EPAs steady stream of bull.

The EPA will come up with 20 excuses a day as to why they cannot find benzene and other contaminants that everyone knows is in the water and the sludge that will be left to dry out. But the bottom line will be the same – those harmful chemicals “weren’t found.” In this way, the President can oversee a quick return to an appearance of normalcy, and the petroleum and chemical companies that would normally be held financially liable for the clean up will get off scott-free. Meanwhile, the poor people of New Orleans will be sent back to live on what may qualify as a Superfund site.

A Lesson from the Big Apple to the Big Easy

2005-09-15T11:48:00.000-04:00

Check out this post on Huffington Post that draws some scary comparisons between the aftermath of 9.11 to the aftermath of New Orleans. Is history repeating itself?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-schmeltzer/a-warning-from-the-big-ap_b_7345.html