Katrina: Toxins pose problem

2005-09-14 15:11

Washington - Environmental scientists on Tuesday painted a grim picture about the impact of Hurricane Katrina, fearing chemical pollution from devastated sites could contaminate groundwater, fisheries and seafood.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Stephen Johnson said samples of floodwater in New Orleans were "highly contaminated with bacteria, both E (Escherichia) coli and coliform, and high levels of lead".

He told the CNBC network that tests are being done on sediment, which is contaminated in some areas with a lot of oil and which scientists say could store chemical toxins for years.

"Obviously, we're concerned about both the ecological effects of the storm as well as effects on industry, particularly the fishing industry," Johnson said.

In a teleconference with journalists, environmental scientists underlined that the EPA needs to stay vigilant.

"It's absolutely essential that aggressive monitoring takes place," Jeffery Foran, president of the Midwest Centre for Environmental Science and Public Policy, said.

He said the agency should urgently look at specific locations where dioxin, a byproduct of the chemical industry that is stored in the tissues rather than degrades with time, was stored.

By Foran's estimate, millions of kilograms of toxic waste was stored in the New Orleans area, including 900g of dioxin.

"Dioxin is a very toxic chemical, and if it's released into the environment, accumulates very quickly," said Foran.

If only one percent of the stored amount is released and only one percent of that makes it into the Gulf of Mexico, that would be sufficient to contaminate 20 million fish - itself enough to trigger warnings not to eat the fish, Foran said.

Another area of concern is the run-off from untreated sewage, which would encourage oxygen-starving blooms of algae in the sea and Lake Pontchartrain, which abuts New Orleans, said Hans Paerl, professor of marine and environmental science at the University of North Carolina.

Water is being pumped into Lake Pontchartrain from the flooded streets of New Orleans, and then drains into the Gulf.

- AFP