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The Toxic Waters of New Orleans

By Jeralyn, Section Huricanes Katrina and Rita
Posted on Wed Sep 07, 2005 at 06:03:17 PM EST
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The Guardian reports that the waters of New Orleans are ten times over their toxic limit.

The disclosure from the first tests conducted by the US government into conditions in New Orleans added a growing urgency to an order for thousands of inhabitants remaining in the wretched city to leave or face forced evacuation.

At least three deaths from bacterial infections have been reported from the carnage wrought by Hurricane Katrina. The EPA warned that there was a risk not just from drinking water but from skin contact as well. "Human contact with the floodwater should be avoided as much as possible," said Stephen Johnson, an EPA administrator.

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    The Toxic Waters of New Orleans | 8 comments (8 topical)
    Re: The Toxic Waters of New Orleans (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:26 PM EST
    And what if this had been a bio terrorism attack? Where is Homeland Security?

    Re: The Toxic Waters of New Orleans (none / 0) (#2)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:26 PM EST
    'Witch's brew' swills through city Chemicals poison water John Vidal, environment editor Friday September 2, 2005 The Guardian A "witch's brew" of heavy metals, chemicals, sewage, fuel and pesticides is swilling through New Orleans and the waterways of Louisiana and other US coastal states, say conservationists and oceanographers studying the Mississippi basin in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The full extent of the industrial pollution will not be known until the 140 petrochemical works that operate along 80 miles of the Mississippi river between New Orleans and Baton Rouge assess their plants, said Greg Stone of Louisiana State University... Just gets better and better... :(

    Re: The Toxic Waters of New Orleans (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:26 PM EST
    And what if this had been a bio terrorism attack? Where is Homeland Security?
    Who cares about terrorism? The scary scenario one should be examining is what if for example a huge earthquake hit in California. With the chaos this disaster exposes, people on the west coast need to be more afraid of their own leaders incompetance than of some attention whores from Saudi Arabia.

    Re: The Toxic Waters of New Orleans (none / 0) (#4)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:26 PM EST
    Actually...given that the New Orleans levees were one of the most vulnerable spots for a terrorist strike in all the U.S., why was there no plan by the DHS to deal with that possibility? Tom Ridge...besides the duct tape hints...what did you do, man?

    Re: The Toxic Waters of New Orleans (none / 0) (#5)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:26 PM EST
    Water is the one thing that connects all of us. Water touches water and the whole world is connected. Not only is it more valuable than gold it is what we are mostly made of. No small wonder that it can also destroy us if we take it for granted, which we evidently do.

    Re: The Toxic Waters of New Orleans (none / 0) (#6)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:26 PM EST
    Ernesto:...given that the New Orleans levees were one of the most vulnerable spots for a terrorist strike in all the U.S., why was there no plan by the DHS to deal with that possibility? Good qustion, and that is a vulnerability that has been considered in some depth... but never really taken seriously, obviously, by the Bush League White House... New Orleans: A Geopolitical Prize I would think though, that DOD has considered this scenario in extreme depth... and you know who the Commander-in-Chief is.

    Re: The Toxic Waters of New Orleans (none / 0) (#7)
    by peacrevol on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:27 PM EST
    Are they filtering that water before they dispose of it? or are they just pumping it out into the ocean or lake ponch.?

    Re: The Toxic Waters of New Orleans (none / 0) (#8)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:27 PM EST
    peacrevol: Are they filtering that water before they dispose of it? No treatment or filtering as far as I know. Too much volume...

    The Toxic Waters of New Orleans | 8 comments (8 topical)