Water Pollution

1
Water Pollution

• In flood waters after Hurricane Katrina
• Lindsay Pearson
• November 1st , 2005
• Neurotoxicology Presentation

2
Satellite picture of Katrina

• http//en.wikipedia.org/
• wiki/2005_Atlantic_hurricane_season

3
Katrina background
information

• An area of disturbed weather over the Bahamas
  developed into a tropical depression on August 23
• It became a tropical storm on the 24th and a
  hurricane on the 25th.
• It made landfall on August 25 in southern
  Florida,
• emerging a few hours later into the Gulf of
  Mexico.
• Katrina rapidly intensified to Category 5 status
  on the morning of August 28, becoming the fourth
  most intense recorded hurricane in the Atlantic
  basin. The hurricane weakened to a Category 4 as
  it turned northward to hit southeastern
  Louisiana.

4
Initially and unfortunately

• New Orleans escaped the worst damage from the
  storm
• However, levees along the Intercoastal Canal
  and 17th Street Canal ultimately were breached by
  storm surge,
• 80 of the city flooded
• 1,302 people have been confirmed dead across 5
  US states. Once damage totals come in, Katrina
  will likely be the costliest hurricane in U.S.
  history, with damage totals expected to reach as
  high as 100 billion.

5
Debris from flood waters

• www.startribune.com

6
Summary of results from September 10-19, 2005
(between Hurricanes Katrina and Rita)

• The EPA and The Louisiana Department of
  Environmental Quality tested for over 130
  chemicals in New Orleans flood waters including
• VOCs
• SVOCs
• Total metals
• Herbicides
• Pesticides
• PCBs

7
Chemicals that exceeded MCLs from September
10-19th

• Lead
• Arsenic
• Barium
• Thallium
• Chromium
• Benzene
• Selenium

8

• Toxic effects of some chemicals found in
  contaminated flood waters
• Lead
• Young children and fetuses most vulnerable
• High doses can lead to brain swelling
• Learning deficits
• Possibly lethal

9

• Lead continued
• Allowable levels in drinking water
• according to the EPA
• 15 micrograms per liter
• http//www.chemicalelements.com/elements/pb.html

10
Toxic effects continued

• Arsenic
• Difficulty swallowing
• Stomach pain
• Vomiting
• Muscle cramps
• Possibly death

11

• Arsenic Continued
• Allowable levels in drinking water according to
  the EPA
• 10 micrograms per liter
• http//www.chemicalelements.com/elements/as.html

12

• Chromium
• Exposure through inhalation
• Can cause
• Kidney damage
• Dermatits
• Irritated nasal lining
• Lung cancer

13
Chromium continued

• http//www.chemicalelements.com/elements/cr.html

14
Benzene

• Found in Gasoline
• Absorbed through inhalation
• Derived from petroleum
• One of the top twenty chemicals in use in the
  world

15
Toxic effects of Benzene

• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Unconsciousness
• According to the EPA Benzene should not exceed
  5ppb in drinking water

16
Benzene continued

• http//www.physics.sfsu.edu/mugawa/molecule.html

17
Selenium

• Toxic at much higher levels than the previously
  mentioned chemicals
• 200 micrograms per day are allowable

18
Selenium continued

• Toxic effects include the following
• Loss of appetite
• Poor vision
• Staggering in circles

19
Selenium

• http//www.chemicalelements.com/elements/se.html

20
Summary of results beginning September 25, 2005
(after Hurricane Rita)

• The following chemicals were found after Rita
  that exceeded ATSDR/CDC health guidelines in at
  least one sample in addition to chemicals found
  between the 10-19th of September
• Manganese
• Antimony
• Vanadium
• Beryllium
• PCBs

21
Manganese

• Used as an additive in gasoline
• Its salts are dispersed through the exhausts of
  cars

22
Toxic effects of Manganese

• Symptoms resemble Parkinsons
• http//www.chemicalelements.com/elements/mn.html

23
Toxic effects of Beryllium

• Inflammation of respiratory tract
• Berylliosis
• Lung cancer

24
Man collecting water samples

• Epa.gov

25
Bacteria found in flood waters

• E. Coli
• Fecal Coliform
• From sewage overflow and sewage leaks
• Coliforms are bacteria that live in the
  intestines of warm-blooded animals (humans, pets,
  farm animals, and wildlife). Fecal coliform
  bacteria are a kind of coliform associated with
  human or animal wastes. Escherichia coli (E.
  coli) is part of the group of fecal coliforms.

26
Diseases caused by pollutants

• Amebic dysenteryAn intestinal illness caused by
  a microscopic parasite, amebic dysentery is
  spread through ingestion of sewage-contaminated
  food or water. It can also be spread
  person-to-person.

27
Diseases continued

• HepatitisA liver disease spread by coming in
  contact with contaminated water or fecal
  material.
• Salmonella

28
Threat caused by mosquitos

• high temperatures and standing water
• allow mosquitos to breed prolifically
• Possible diseases caused by infected mosquitos
• Malaria
• Encephalitis
• West Nile

29
Other issues due to flood waters

• Oil spills
• http//www.planetsea.com/images/katrina
  20oil20spill.jpg

30
Extent of oil spills

• According to the Coast Guard
• 7.7 million gallons have spilled because of
  Katrina
• In September over 500 people were working to
  clean up 44 spills

31
Oil Clean up

• http//msnbc.msn.com/id
  /9365607/

32
http//msnbc.msn.com/id/9612756/
33
Conclusion
The extent of water pollution after Katrina is a
vast and complicated The chemicals mentioned
in this presentation only skim the surface Only
time will show the extent of the damage
pollutants have caused to homes, business, human
and animals lives and overall health Hopefully
in the future the government along with emergency
and environmental agencies will learn from their
mistakes and try to prevent a natural disaster
from becoming a man made disaster as well.
34
Environmental Protection Agency Summary of
Water Testing Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
(2005). Retrieved Oct 31, 2005, from
http//www.epa.gov/katrina/testresults/water/index
.html Gilbert, G. G.(2004). A small dose of
toxicology The health effects of common
chemicals. New York CRC Press. Msnbc .Disease
outbreaks after a hurricane. (2005). Retrieved
Oct 31, 2005, from http//msnbc.msn.com/id
/9427530/ Msnbc. Tremendous impact from Gulf
oil spills. (2005). Retrieved Oct 31, 2005,
from http//msnbc.msn.com/id/9612756/ Msnbc. 44
oil spills found in southeast Louisiana. (2005).
Retrieved Oct 31, 2005, from
http//msnbc.msn.com/id/9365607 Wikipedia. 2005
Atlantic hurricane season. (2005). Retrieved Oct
31, 2005, from http//en.wikipedia.org/wik
i/2005_Atlantic_hurricane_season