Jill , spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control

[Guest guest]

Jill , spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, lead federal agency on mold in the hurricane zones, said

issuing such gear is a state and local matter. She said the agency

is focusing on the types of molds being found here rather than the

quantity, because certain varieties are a greater health risk. She

said the CDC has done some indoor monitoring of mold but the results

are not ready for release.

Posted 11/16/2005 11:37 PM

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-16-katrina-mold_x.htm

Mold levels 'very high' in New Orleans

By O'Driscoll, USA TODAY

NEW ORLEANS — Airborne mold has reached such high levels here since

Hurricane Katrina that the federal government should monitor it

closely and give protective gear to residents unaware of the health

risk, a national environmental group said Wednesday.

Tuyen Le wears a mask while gutting his New Orleans home to remove

mold and flood damage.

By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY staff

Test samples in 14 locations across New Orleans last month found

excessive concentrations of mold spores indoors and out, the Natural

Resources Defense Council reported. An indoor count in a

neighborhood hardly touched by floodwaters registered even higher

than a reading in one of the worst-hit areas.

Moisture fosters the spread of mold. About 80% of the city was

flooded after Katrina's surging waters broke through levees and

floodwalls along canals. Mold is a naturally occurring growth that

discharges spores the way plants release pollen. Like pollen, the

spores can trigger allergies or episodes of asthma.

In high concentrations, mold can be a serious health risk for people

with asthma, allergies, respiratory problems or immune system

deficiency, said , a San Francisco physician and

professor of medicine who led the research. Also at risk:

chemotherapy patients and the elderly.

said the outdoor readings, taken Oct. 15-17, were at least

two to four times higher than normal for New Orleans, where the

warm, humid climate promotes mold growth. Indoor results were worse.

The findings " are really disturbing to me, " she added.

The highest outdoor reading was 102,000 mold spores per cubic meter

in the Mid-City neighborhood, where city officials this week lifted

restrictions on overnight stays by returning evacuees. The National

Allergy Bureau classifies a mold spore count above 50,000 as " very

high, " its highest level.

said mold is " the leading culprit " for a condition known

locally as " Katrina cough. " Some people have reported a nagging

cough, sore throat, runny nose and other symptoms.

Federal, state and local agencies have posted advice on the Internet

for returning residents to wear masks and protective clothing in

moldy homes. Fliers detailing precautions have been distributed and

radio announcements aired.

But the council said the federal government should do more.

said it should set up mold monitoring and give returning residents

protective clothing, mold-rated respirators and other gear.

Jill , spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, lead federal agency on mold in the hurricane zones, said

issuing such gear is a state and local matter. She said the agency

is focusing on the types of molds being found here rather than the

quantity, because certain varieties are a greater health risk. She

said the CDC has done some indoor monitoring of mold but the results

are not ready for release.

Pam Dashiell, a resident of New Orleans' hard-hit Lower 9th Ward,

said many people coming home to clean up aren't taking precautions

because they haven't heard the warnings. " I see people all the time

without masks or suits, even with bare hands sometimes, " she said.