N.O. Uptown was measured at 81,000 spores per cubic

November 17, 2005

Airborne mould poses serious health threat in New Orleans

By Buncombe in Washington

Published: 17 November 2005

Independent - London,England,UK

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article327526.ece

People who have returned to the devastated city of New Orleans are

facing fresh problems from high levels of airborne mould, which

experts say pose a serious health threat.

A leading environmental group yesterday released the results of a

study carried out across the city that they said highlighted a

significant danger. The group, the Natural Resources Defence Council

(NRDC), accused the government of failing to warn people of the

issue. The findings are the first publicly available air quality

tests in the city since Hurricane Katrina struck at the end of

August.

" The outdoor mould spore concentrations could easily trigger serious

allergic or asthmatic reactions in sensitive people, " said Dr

, who led the NRDC team. " The indoor air quality was even

worse, rendering the homes we tested dangerously uninhabitable by

any definition. "

The study looked at samples taken from 14 locations in the area,

nine of which had been significantly flooded, and examined them for

mould spores. They discovered the levels of such spores were

extremely high inside flooded properties.

According to the National Allergy Bureau of the American Academy of

Allergy and Immunology, any outdoor mould spore level greater than

50,000 spores per cubic metre is considered " very high " . The spore

counts outdoors in most flooded neighbourhoods tested by the NRDC

reached well above that.

One outdoor site in Uptown was measured at 81,000 spores per cubic

metre, while an indoor site in the same area had a count of 645,000

spores per cubic metre.

The group, whose tests were supported by a coalition of local

organisations, said that the federal government's various agencies,

including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Health

and Human Services and the Centres for Disease Control and

Prevention, are not monitoring mould levels in flooded areas and

have not helped residents cope with the problem. It said that while

there were no regulatory standards for either indoor or outdoor

levels of the spores, it was the government's responsibility to

ensure the public is protected.

Many US families forced to leave their homes by devastating storms

have been told that funding for accommodation in hotels will be cut

by 1 December. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), in

charge of the relief effort, has paid evacuees some $274m (£159m)

since hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Almost 54,000 families are still

living in hotels and motels in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and

Mississippi.

Fema wants people to move to temporary accommodation before finding

new homes. " There are still too many people living in hotel rooms

and we want to help them get into longer-term homes before the

holidays, " said son, acting director of Fema.

" Those affected by the storms should have the opportunity to become

self-reliant again and reclaim some normalcy in their lives. " From 1

December, most families staying in hotels will either have to pay

the bills themselves or cover the costs with Fema housing aid.

People who have returned to the devastated city of New Orleans are

facing fresh problems from high levels of airborne mould, which

experts say pose a serious health threat.

A leading environmental group yesterday released the results of a

study carried out across the city that they said highlighted a

significant danger. The group, the Natural Resources Defence Council

(NRDC), accused the government of failing to warn people of the

issue. The findings are the first publicly available air quality

tests in the city since Hurricane Katrina struck at the end of

August.

" The outdoor mould spore concentrations could easily trigger serious

allergic or asthmatic reactions in sensitive people, " said Dr

, who led the NRDC team. " The indoor air quality was even

worse, rendering the homes we tested dangerously uninhabitable by

any definition. "

The study looked at samples taken from 14 locations in the area,

nine of which had been significantly flooded, and examined them for

mould spores. They discovered the levels of such spores were

extremely high inside flooded properties.

According to the National Allergy Bureau of the American Academy of

Allergy and Immunology, any outdoor mould spore level greater than

50,000 spores per cubic metre is considered " very high " . The spore

counts outdoors in most flooded neighbourhoods tested by the NRDC

reached well above that.

One outdoor site in Uptown was measured at 81,000 spores per cubic

metre, while an indoor site in the same area had a count of 645,000

spores per cubic metre.

The group, whose tests were supported by a coalition of local

organisations, said that the federal government's various agencies,

including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Health

and Human Services and the Centres for Disease Control and

Prevention, are not monitoring mould levels in flooded areas and

have not helped residents cope with the problem. It said that while

there were no regulatory standards for either indoor or outdoor

levels of the spores, it was the government's responsibility to

ensure the public is protected.

Many US families forced to leave their homes by devastating storms

have been told that funding for accommodation in hotels will be cut

by 1 December. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), in

charge of the relief effort, has paid evacuees some $274m (£159m)

since hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Almost 54,000 families are still

living in hotels and motels in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and

Mississippi.

Fema wants people to move to temporary accommodation before finding

new homes. " There are still too many people living in hotel rooms

and we want to help them get into longer-term homes before the

holidays, " said son, acting director of Fema.

" Those affected by the storms should have the opportunity to become

self-reliant again and reclaim some normalcy in their lives. " From 1

December, most families staying in hotels will either have to pay

the bills themselves or cover the costs with Fema housing aid.

Also in this section

November 17, 2005

Recently, the WHO did a report on global climate change that went into

depth about the impact of warmer climates and increased storm power

and frequency. They predicted something like this would happen.

Basically, many temperate areas are beginning to get the health

problems (like mold) formerly only familiar to those who live in the

tropics.

On 11/16/05, tigerpaw2c <tigerpaw2c@...> wrote:

>

> Airborne mould poses serious health threat in New Orleans

>

> By Buncombe in Washington

> Published: 17 November 2005

> Independent - London,England,UK

>

> http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article327526.ece

>

> People who have returned to the devastated city of New Orleans are

> facing fresh problems from high levels of airborne mould, which

> experts say pose a serious health threat.

>

> A leading environmental group yesterday released the results of a

> study carried out across the city that they said highlighted a

> significant danger. The group, the Natural Resources Defence Council

> (NRDC), accused the government of failing to warn people of the

> issue. The findings are the first publicly available air quality

> tests in the city since Hurricane Katrina struck at the end of

> August.

>

> " The outdoor mould spore concentrations could easily trigger serious

> allergic or asthmatic reactions in sensitive people, " said Dr

> , who led the NRDC team. " The indoor air quality was even

> worse, rendering the homes we tested dangerously uninhabitable by

> any definition. "

>

> The study looked at samples taken from 14 locations in the area,

> nine of which had been significantly flooded, and examined them for

> mould spores. They discovered the levels of such spores were

> extremely high inside flooded properties.

>

> According to the National Allergy Bureau of the American Academy of

> Allergy and Immunology, any outdoor mould spore level greater than

> 50,000 spores per cubic metre is considered " very high " . The spore

> counts outdoors in most flooded neighbourhoods tested by the NRDC

> reached well above that.

>

> One outdoor site in Uptown was measured at 81,000 spores per cubic

> metre, while an indoor site in the same area had a count of 645,000

> spores per cubic metre.

>

> The group, whose tests were supported by a coalition of local

> organisations, said that the federal government's various agencies,

> including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Health

> and Human Services and the Centres for Disease Control and

> Prevention, are not monitoring mould levels in flooded areas and

> have not helped residents cope with the problem. It said that while

> there were no regulatory standards for either indoor or outdoor

> levels of the spores, it was the government's responsibility to

> ensure the public is protected.

>

> Many US families forced to leave their homes by devastating storms

> have been told that funding for accommodation in hotels will be cut

> by 1 December. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), in

> charge of the relief effort, has paid evacuees some $274m (£159m)

> since hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Almost 54,000 families are still

> living in hotels and motels in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and

> Mississippi.

>

> Fema wants people to move to temporary accommodation before finding

> new homes. " There are still too many people living in hotel rooms

> and we want to help them get into longer-term homes before the

> holidays, " said son, acting director of Fema.

>

> " Those affected by the storms should have the opportunity to become

> self-reliant again and reclaim some normalcy in their lives. " From 1

> December, most families staying in hotels will either have to pay

> the bills themselves or cover the costs with Fema housing aid.