Katrina Cough

November 4, 2005

Whoa - I was bowled over when I read this article !!!

People getting sick just from DRIVING through affected (moldy) areas in New

Orleans.

?coll=la-home-headlines

" It started out as a sore throat and scratchy eyes. That turned into a

cold, and that turned into a cough again, and that's where it stayed, " said

Christophe Hinton, 38, who was on the way to a medical clinic Thursday to

address an illness that had hung around for weeks, impervious to

over-the-counter cold medicine. " Everybody's got this thing, " he said.

" Everybody I know. "

" 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. "

" But some in the New Orleans area are developing respiratory conditions

without going inside badly damaged buildings or homes, Casey said.

" People who are actually going into the destroyed residences are having a

more severe time of it, " he said. " But I've also seen some patients who have

not actually engaged in that but have started having symptoms just after

driving through some of the affected areas. " "

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