Mythbuster doctor chases down Katrina rumors

[Judi Lynn]

Mythbuster doctor chases down Katrina rumors
Sat Sep 17, 2005 11:09 AM ET

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - The most outrageous rumor was the report about two dogs poisoned by the toxic floodwaters that filled many New Orleans neighborhoods.

At the start of the flooding, as the waters of already less-than-pristine Lake Pontchartrain poured through collapsed levees into low-lying areas, health experts and environmentalists feared the flood would break open chemical tanks, barrels of oil, and solvents.

They worried that sitting floodwaters could dissolve the contents of buried hazardous waste sites or leach foul compounds from landfills.

And as residents and rescuers waded through foul brown waters, the reports of dire consequences began.
(snip/...)

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-09-17T151004Z_01_MCC754543_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-KATRINA-MYTHBUSTER-DC.XML&archived=False

[Barrett808]

1. Cover-up: toxic waters 'will make New Orleans unsafe for a decade'

Contrast with this:

Cover-up: toxic waters 'will make New Orleans unsafe for a decade'
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/redir.php?jid=14671c0dd528c8ee&cat=c08dd24cec417021

[melnjones]

2. What do you mean cover-up?

Why allow false rumors to spread and let people think that the situation is worse than it really is? That doesn't help anyone.

[meganmonkey]

4. Remember after 9/11 when the EPA said the air was safe to breathe

and now fully 75% of the first-reponders working there have significant respiratory problems, and a large number of them are fatally ill.

I would rather err on the side of paranoia here...

[melnjones]

5. Point well taken, but

I still don't see the need to allow extreme rumors to circulate.

[intheflow]

8. No one is suggesting that wild rumors should be encouraged.

But scientific common sense would indicate that in a petrolium-economy-based, scarsely environmentally regulated area like NOLA, there are bound to be high levels of toxicity after an event like this. The very nature of many petrolium-based toxins is that the symptoms may not develop for years--just ask the vets who fought to have exposure to Agent Orange covered by VA insurance, or the vets who are even now fighting to have the VA recognize the health impacts of depleted uranium.

And it's very true that the EPA actively covered up the environmental dangers after the Twin Towers fell. Again, it was touted as not wanting t cause panic, but sometimes panic is justified, especially in public health situtations.

Given this administration's penchant for secrecy and cover-up, I believe that skepticism should remain high about reports of lower levels of toxicity than first reported in NOLA.

[pitohui]

9. yeah where's your house?

err on the side of paranoia when it's keeping you from living at yr home

if you are bothered by the water in new orleans, do what the locals do, drink bottled water, how hard is that

we want to go home

we don't want profiteers putting additional costs for inspections and unnecessary treatments in our path

[kestrel91316]

12. Any fool could have told them that inhaling concrete and asbestos dust

is a supremely bad idea. It doesn't take a rocket scientist.

[kestrel91316]

11. Fearmongers and whackos abound on DU, I am finding out.

Pseudoscience rules in some peoples' little worlds.

[loudsue]

18. Pseudoscience? Extreme pollution is pseudoscience?

If you think "whackos abound on DU", what are YOU doing here? Trying to push the "oil, petro-chemicals, and human waste made into a soup won't hurt you, if you drink it or wade in it for a few days" theme?

That sounds pretty whacko to this DUer, and a little more sinister than "pseudoscience".


:kick:

[kestrel91316]

20. Jesus jumped up christ in a side car. I am getting a headache trying to

communicate with some of you folks.

I do not in any way disagree with the assessment that there is serious, BAD pollution in NOLA!!!!!!!! I am probably more of an environmentalist than most folks here. Sheesh. I was referring to a comment in the thread that sounded like nonsensical fearmongering of the sort more common to pseudoscience's fans. I don't have time to go back and find exactly which comment it was.

Get a grip. Anybody who has been around here for the past 6 months should know I am not one of the BORG.

[kestrel91316]

21. Oh, and I know my microbiology of water and sewage, having studied it in

college and worked 3 years in a campus soil microbiology lab. I have a good base of knowledge about our little friend, Escherichia coli. And his less-friendly compatriots.

So I am less than hysterical about the bacterial contamination in the water. It has raw sewage in it.............BAD. But not a permanent problem. Trust in the rotifers.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Articles published the same day, too! A world apart in point of view.

I would imagine the water is god-awful, for sure. I was hoping, however, the story that animals drop dead after drinking it, was not accurate.

It could be, then, the "mythbuster" story was written to down-play the actual unacceptable level of threat still there in the water. It's true the administration seems to believe high levels of impurities in water, air are just fine for the American public.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. No, the 'unsafe for a decade' article was published 6 days earlier

on the 11th Sept, rather than the 17th for the 'mythbuster' one.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Thanks! I'm not as focused as I had thought this morning. Didn't catch it.

:hi:

[pitohui]

10. there are always hysterics and profiteers

there is money to be made for the few by claiming that mud, mildew, etc. is some horrible health hazard that their companies will need yrs of funding to cleanse

i hope the harm caused to the many by allowing rumors, hysteria, and even lies -- "unsafe for a decade" indeed! -- will be sufficient to dissuade most ppl from spreading untrue claims and stories

[kestrel91316]

13. One of my pet peeves is the "toxic mold" paranoia.

I have studied fungi in a university setting. It takes a little common sense when working around mold to minimaze the risk of inhaling spores. If you dry out the environment and clean it up physically, there is no need for the abject TERROR we see in the news about mold in the home. Mold is aesthetically icky and the spores can make you sick. Duh. NOLA needs a whole lot of sheetrock and flooring replaced, and a bit of bleach spread around on smooth surfaces. And most importantly, it needs DRYING OUT. Folks who are afraid of the mold should invest in HEPA air filters for the home, and dehumidifiers, and get a grip on reality. The place is a swamp. It will continue to be a swamp.

I suspect most of the ranting about mold comes from those who don't have to deal with it daily.

I am sure pitohui is using common sense (which is decidedly uncommon these days).

[TankLV]

22. Actually - my company did extensive mold remediation work.

Mold is very tricky - and it is one main mold that is the nasty one - "stachybotris" (not sure of the spelling).

Most of the other molds are indeed harmless, and many times, the mold infestation is not the stachy type.

Just "drying it out" doesn't stop it - it goes into hibernation until the next exposure to water. And unless it is thoroughly cleaned out, it leaves behind spores that can last years in a dormant state until exposed to moisture.

And the moisture of an ordinary humid environment - such as after a rain storm - even when no leaks occur to directly expose it to moisture, will do the trick.

Also, a "leg" of just one spore can contaminate a whole building, feeding the entire length from a small exposure to moisture or "food".

Bleach WILL kill it, as will the "encapsulation" technique where all of the wood studs or other framing or contaminated members are coated with this white substance and essentially encapsulates the affected items. The drywall/gypsum board cannot be "encapsulated" this way.

But just "investing in HEPA air filters for the home, and dehumidifiers" will NOT do the job!

And it IS VERY dangerous - the spores take up residence in your lungs, and spread from there. And once in the lungs, it is extremely difficult to get rid of - very time consuming and costly.

We currently have a couple of workers who have tested positive for the mold and who are essentially now chronically disabled.

The mold survives on the sugars present in cellulose and drywall, adhesives, wall coverings, paint, etc.

They have now developed a totally inert gypsum board product that has NO sugars and will not allow the mold to get a hold or grow. I imagine because of all the well-founded fears of this mold, that soon the older types of drywall will be discontinued.

We had a high-rise project under construction here - and the contractor started to put in the drywall before the building was enclosed and air-conditioned. All the drywall is being removed because stachybotris mold got hold and infested the whole place - BIG expensive headache for the contractor!

[mbperrin]

14. What a silly idea that one person could have done all this....

No one can know everything that's happened in NO so far. No one can predict everything that's going to happen so far. So the truth probably belongs somewhere in between:
the place is a dead letter, and wash your hands well and everything will be fine.

What needs to be done now is less spin and more work, as usual.

[Pepperbelly]

15. Story No Longer Available when I click on the link. nt

[0007]

16. Yeah, I missed it also.

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

17. I think they pulled it...

... I searched for "mythbuster" on their site and got no hits.

This story always seemed bogus to me. I wonder if Reuters spiked the story after discovering that it was propaganda.

Edit: I just found this article which presents the same/similar information from the same reporter. Her sources are the EPA. Take from that what you will.

[sakabatou]

19. When's the next season?