June 2007 NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Report Katrina

[Guest guest]

_http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2005-0369-3034.pdf_

(http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2005-0369-3034.pdf)

US Department of Health & Human Services (US DHHS)

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)

National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH)

Health Hazard Evaluation Report 2005-0369-3034

Hurricane Katrina Response, May 2007

" Except for a limited number of noise exposure samples above the NIOSH

recommended exposure limit and carbon monoxide levels above the NIOSH ceiling

limit, environmental sampling for a variety of substances including asbestos,

metals and dust did not reveal levels above recognized occupational exposure

limits. "

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck coastal areas in Alabama,

Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi, causing numerous deaths, massive

infrastructure damage, and flooding. The two hardest hit areas were along the

Gulf Coast

of Louisiana and Mississippi. The State of Louisiana and the City of New

Orleans invited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assist

with the rebuilding of the city’s public health system. Between September 11,

2005, and October 29, 2005, investigators from CDC’s National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) were deployed to New Orleans and Baton

Rouge. Their main objectives were to assist Federal, state, and local agencies

in addressing occupational safety and health issues, to perform health and

injury surveillance and exposure assessments among workers, to perform outreach

to vulnerable workers, and to develop and disseminate occupational health

information. Three teams of personnel responded to numerous requests for

assistance in evaluating exposures to mold, chemicals, biological agents,

floodwaters, dust and dried flood sediment, flood debris, and noise.

************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at

http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour