Assessment of Pathogens and Toxicants in New Orleans, LA Following Hurricane Katrina

Abstract

Storm surge associated with Hurricane Katrina and the breach of levees protecting New Orleans, Louisiana allowed floodwaters from Lake Pontchartrain to inundate 80% of the city. Environmental samples were collected during September 16-18, 2005 to determine immediate human and wildlife health hazards from pathogens and toxicants in the floodwaters. Baseline information on potential long-term environmental damage resulting from contaminants in water and sediments pumped into Lake Pontchartrain was also collected. Concentrations of aldrin, arsenic, lead, and seven semivolatile organic compounds in sediments/soils exceeded one or more United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) thresholds for human health soil screening levels and high priority bright line screening levels. High numbers of Aeromonas spp., pathogenic Vibrio spp., and other coliform bacteria were found in floodwater samples. Alligator and snake tissues did not contain excessive toxicant concentrations. Initial findings suggest numerous environmental contaminants are present in New Orleans and support the need for further evaluation of the extent of those threats.

The toxicology of climate change: Environmental contaminants in a warming world

“…Concentrations of all six contaminants were found to increase with increasing storm intensity. Consistent with these results, Presley et al (2006) investigated pollutant and pathogen levels in New Orleans, Louisiana shortly following Hurricane Katrina. They measured soil and sediment concentrations of several contaminants, including the POP aldrin and other semi-volatile organic pollutants, as well as several metals, and found levels that exceeded U.S. EPA human health soil screening levels, which are used to identify hazardous waste sites that merit further evaluation under Superfund law.…”

“…Moreover, regions subject to increased storm intensity, frequency, and variability could experience pulses of chemical releases or runoff that might present acute risks to human health and wildlife populations (Bollmohr et al, 2007;Burgoa and Wauchope, 1995;Chiovarou and Siewicki, 2007;Dabrowski et al, 2002;Presley et al, 2006;Vu et al, 2006).…”

“…1, Legend Items G, H, I, K, M, N). Conversely, increases in the intensity and frequency of rain and storm events will promote the wet deposition of pesticides to terrestrial and aquatic systems (Bollmohr et al, 2007;Burgoa and Wauchope, 1995;Chiovarou and Siewicki, 2007;Dabrowski et al, 2002;Presley et al, 2006;Vu et al, 2006). Independent of these distribution processes, climate change may alter the frequency and amount of pesticides used as agriculture shifts in response to the rapidly changing climate (Chen and McCarl, 2001;Reilly et al, 2001Reilly et al, , 2003.…”

“…As storms and rainfall events become more intense and frequent, increasing amounts of contaminants will be deposited to surfaces and lost in runoff, predominantly as pulse releases, exposing humans and wildlife to these chemicals ( Fig. 1, Legend Item J) (Bollmohr et al, 2007;Burgoa and Wauchope, 1995;Chiovarou and Siewicki, 2007;Presley et al, 2006;Vu et al, 2006). Bollmohr et al (2007) examined the exposure and toxicity of a variety of pesticides, including chlorpyrifos and endosulfan, in arthropods and fish in the Lourens River and estuary in Western Cape, South Africa.…”

Après le déluge: Microbial landscape of New Orleans after the hurricanes

“…In water samples collected immediately after the storm, other researchers had reported E. coli concentrations as high as 3 ϫ 10 7 colony-forming units (cfu) per 100 ml (7). Consider this value in light of the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum single-sample exposure level of 235 cfu per 100 ml for freshwater beaches (8).…”