Just Breathing in Katrina-Flooded Homes Poses Health Risks

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Just Breathing in Katrina-Flooded Homes Poses

Health Risks

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2009/2009-02-11-092.asp

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, February 11, 2009 (ENS) - Homes flooded by Hurricane

Katrina in 2005 may contain harmful levels of airborne contaminants in

addition to polluted sediment deposits, finds new research from scientists

at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

Indoor gases, mold films, and aerosols may have exposed residents, first

responders, and demolition crews to dangerous contaminant levels without the

need for direct skin contact, according to the modeling study published in

the April 2009 issue of " Environmental Engineering Science, " a peer-reviewed

journal published by Ann Liebert, Inc.

The model published by , Kalliat Valsaraj, and Louis

Thibodeaux, from Louisiana State, details the possible types and levels of

volatile and semi-volatile organic pollutants that might be present inside

the flooded homes.

When made landfall on the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coasts on August

29, 2005, failure of protective levees around the city of New Orleans

resulted in floodwaters inundating numerous residential areas to a depth of

six to nine feet for nearly two weeks.

The floodwaters carried with them suspended sediments from Lake

Pontchartrain, along with other contaminants accumulated in the submerged

neighborhoods, the authors say.

When floodwaters were later pumped from residential areas back into Lake

Pontchartrain, sediment remained behind.

" Because the houses sat unoccupied for weeks and months after the storm,

volatile and semivolatile sediment pollutants partition into the vapor space

inside the home, where they present a gas-phase exposure to persons entering

the home, " the study states.

This New Orleans resident searches for salvageable items in her home

following Hurricane Katrina. Many of the homes were like this one with mold

damage to the ceiling. (Photo by Booher courtesy FEMA)

The warm, damp conditions inside the flooded homes led to the growth of mold

on walls, furniture, and other interior surfaces, which may have absorbed

contaminant gases. These mold films in turn emit contaminated spores into

the air inside the home.

The authors conclude that these mold spores may represent a significant sink

for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs; pesticides and esters such as

phthalates, which are plasticizers.

They also mention aldehydes and organic acids as contributors to the

airborne contaminants inside the flooded houses.

" An exposure assessment that only considers exposure to gas-phase materials

of these classes may under predict the total mass of pollutant which a

person may be inhaling, " the authors write.

These newly identified inhalation exposure routes could present a

significant health risk to people who walk inside and breathe the air in

contaminated homes, even if there is no skin contact with the sediment

covering the floors or the mold growing on the walls and other surfaces,

concludes the paper, entitled, " Multiphase Contaminant Distributions Inside

Flooded Homes in New Orleans, Louisiana, after Hurricane Katrina: A Modeling

Study. "

Finally, the authors warn, the PAHs detected in the sediment and mold films

may be cause for concern when contaminated housing materials are disposed

of.

" This may represent a special problem for waste incinerators where products

of incomplete combustion may release partially oxidized PAH or other species

to the air, " they advise. " In landfills or other disposal facilities,

regular monitoring of run-off effluents or waste streams may be needed. "

" This is an excellent and important study by one of the top research teams

in the nation, " said Domenico Grasso, PhD, editor-in-chief and dean and

professor in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at the

University of Vermont-Burlington, who was not involved in the study. " It

will help us better prepare first responders for the additional risks that

may be posed by such events. "

" Results indicate that prolonged contact with contaminated sediment,

vapor-phase organics, and pollutant-laden aerosolized mold spores, may

result in a significant exposure of New Orleans area residents and recovery

workers to toxic materials, " the authors write. " Future research efforts

should further probe the effects of mold as a transport and partitioning

medium for volatile and semivolatile materials, because experimental data in

this area are severely lacking. "

The Federal Emergency Management Agency warns that exposure to mold can

cause respiratory tract infections, especially for infants, children,

immune-compromised patients, pregnant women, the elderly and individuals

with existing respiratory conditions, allergies, multiple chemical

sensitivity, and asthma.