A Message from Dr. Bob Thomas, Director Center for Enviornmental Communication, Loyoal University, New Orleans.

All of us who love and miss New Orleans want to return.  But, they don’t want to return to danger, and they certainly don’t want to be exposed to chemicals and other environmental situations that may come back to haunt them decades from now.

Areas that flooded have been sampled for toxins by the Environmental Protection Agency. An “enviromapper” at http://134.67.99.185/katrina/Emkatrina.asp is studded with green stars, showing where samples were taken in your neighborhood.

But the data presented there are confusing, even for a scientist. What does it mean that EPA allows 0.39 mg/kg of arsenic exposure? Is that a momentary or casual exposure? Eight hours? Forty hours?

What does it mean when someone reports finding arsenic concentrations 70 times that number? And just what is exposure? Does the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) use the same standard?

If something like benzene is a known carcinogen in humans, does that mean that its presence always guarantees exposure, or will it always cause cancer in people who have any contact with it?

What about mold? What will happen to me if I enter my flooded home to retrieve valuables? What should be used to stop mold growth, and how fast does it work? I’ve heard reports that some neighborhoods of New Orleans have four times the
normal mold spore content in the air – what does that mean?

So, what should we do? Should we return?

Let’s be honest and direct. There are no definitive answers at this moment, and the answers we can give today will change with time and they do change with differing circumstances.

Certainly, different organizations are issuing conflicting recommendations. All that anyone can offer is what he/she thinks based on his/her experience, information, and understanding.

Here are a few things to consider:
What does your personal physician say? It is always smart to consult your personal physician for discussion of your overall health as it relates to the uncertainties that may exist due to the disaster in New Orleans. This is especially
important if you have asthma, other lung disorders, and/or are immuno-compromised in any way.

How am I applying this information?

As the director of the Center for Environmental Communications at Loyola University, I spend a lot of time with environmental reporters. As a grandfather, I’m concerned about the possible effects of toxins on children. So, I’m being careful, but
sensible.
That said, here is what I’m doing:
• I’m not nervous being in the areas that are now approved for habitation – the crescent zone associated with St. Charles Avenue, Metairie, Kenner, the West Bank, most of St. Tammany, the French Quarter, and the like. I have taken
my children and grandchildren to many of those places.
• If street cleanup is happening, I don’t expose myself to the dust in the air, and I certainly take my grandchildren inside.
• I don’t stay outside during mosquito spraying. I didn’t before Katrina, either.
• If I enter obviously contaminated places (like oil spills), I wear protective clothing and wear a mask. If I must go there, it is always without children.
• I have entered a number of moldy homes for short periods without a mask. If I clean one of these homes, I will wear protective gear. No kids allowed.
• I don’t allow my body to come in contact with standing water or moist soil without immediately cleaning up. If I have a cut, I use an antibiotic (bacteria and viruses are dangerous). My grandchildren are not allowed to play in mudpuddles these days.
• I’m not worried about reports of chemicals in the soils and air until I hear the reports placed in a context that convinces me there are dangers or until I hear government officials clearly state that there is real (not possible) danger.
Remember, everyone is dodging direct answers, and no one wants to give direct advice.
• Arsenic and other chemicals had relatively high concentrations in our region before Katrina. Since many of these have changed location after the storm from being in compacted or grass-covered soil to being in layers of mud and
dust (thus possibly being concentrated more than normal in places where humans may contact them), I’m washing more often and not allowing my grandchildren to play as much outside in the dirt.
• I’m paying a little more attention to a sniffling nose, a pesky cough, and open wounds. Though these are within my norm, they could escalate more quickly under our new conditions.
• I am drinking the water from cleared neighborhoods (and allowing my grandchildren to do so, too).
• I’m spot-checking government websites to track dangerous hot-zones and updates.
• When I’m not sure of something, I’m seeking the opinions of my doctors.
The bottom-line is that we must rely on EPA and LDEQ to give straightforward, understandable answers. We must demand that our political leaders ensure its veracity. Otherwise, those with no training in evaluating environmental data must make their best
guess about what to believe -- and risk their futures on that guess.