How toxic is the water?

Mabel

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I know it was mentioned before but I haven't seen any discussion, what do we know about the effect that millions and millions of gallons of toxic water might have on the ocean? On Greta tonight (I think it was on Greta) they said more pumps are being brought in. I believe they said (I really need to pay more attention) that these new pumps could process millions of gallons of water every hour....and still it might take up to 80 days to drain the city. I'm quite concerned about what the toxins in this much water might do to the marine environment. I suppose I should just assume that FEMA or some other 'on the ball' agency has already looked into this.
 
Mabel said:
I know it was mentioned before but I haven't seen any discussion, what do we know about the effect millions and millions of gallons of toxic water might have on the ocean? On Greta tonight (I think it was on Greta) they said more pumps are being brought in. I believe they said (I really need to pay more attention) that these new pumps could process millions of gallons of water every hour. I'm quite concerned about what the toxins in this much water might do to the marine environment. I suppose I should just assume that FEMA or some other 'on the ball' agency has already looked into this.
The ramifications to the Gulf will be horrible. It will also be horrible to areas of the Mississippi River and the leeching could may any crops grown a health risk in years to come.

My DH works for a Water Pollution Control Center and he has to have several shots that cover things like hepatitis, typhus, tetanus. So much crud has already leeched down into the ground of NO and surrounding areas.

I know some have already gotten sick and some have died (if what I remember is correct). How long it can incubate in people who waded through it or swam and maybe swallowed water, I have no clue.
But, I continue to pray for everyone involved in all three states.
 
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Reuters) -- The toxic brew of chemicals and human waste in the New Orleans floodwaters will have to be pumped into the Mississippi River or Lake Pontchartrain, raising the specter of an environmental disaster on the heels of Hurricane Katrina, experts say
The dire need to rid the drowned city of water could trigger fish kills and poison the delicate wetlands near New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi. (Full story)

State and federal agencies have just begun water quality testing but environmental experts say the vile, stagnant chemical soup that sits in the streets of the city will contain traces of everything imaginable.

"Go home and identify all the chemicals in your house. It's a very long list," said Ivor van Heerden, head of a Louisiana State University center that studies the public health impacts of hurricanes





http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/09/06/katrina.water.reut/
and http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/09/05/katrina.wetlands.ap/index.html
 
I just heard, on Hannity and Colmes on FOX, a guy say that fish swimming around in the flood waters of the city are jumping out of the water and throwing themselves up onto the piles of rubble to die. This ought to be a clue to even the clueless. :doh:

I will not be buying fish from the gulf area for a lo-o-ong time, if ever again.

I can't believe the governor of Louisiana not insisting on a forced evacuation. She wants to wait until the water tests she sent off come back, which will be another 3 or 4 days. Meanwhile, more and more citizens will be getting sick. Some people need to be protected from themselves. :banghead:

I also heard that there were 9 confirmed cases of "West Nile" in N.O. BEFORE Katrina hit, but it wasn't publicized.
 
I've heard on local and national news the water is so toxic, they don't even want people to set foot in it without being decontaminated, yet people are bathing in it! The bacterial levels alone are 10x above normal, there have been dead bodies in it, raw sewage, chemicals like gas, pollution... and there are mold problems as well as cholera type diseases being spread.
 
http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/111/110025.htm?pagenumber=1CDC Checks 4 Cases of Waterborne Disease ; 'Sporadic' Reports of Stomach Illnesses at Shelters; Lingering in Sediment

Quote 1 The CDC is investigating four cases of a waterborne disease caused by the Vibrio vulnificus bacterium in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Quote 2 Early test results of New Orleans floodwater show levels of E. coli and other bacteria exceed safe levels for human contact, says Stephen Johnson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). "Human contact with floodwater should be avoided as much as possible," Johnson told reporters in the same conference call. He and Gerberding urge people still in New Orleans to leave immediately. "We know the water is bad," says Johnson. New Orleans floodwater also contains more lead than the EPA considers safe for drinking water, says Johnson. Preliminary tests don't check for every type of water-borne illness, cautions Gerberding

Quote 3 There have been "sporadic reports" of gastrointestinal illnesses such as norovirus at some shelters housing people displaced by the hurricane, says Gerberding.

Quote 4 All of these things could persist in the environment around the flooded area for quite some time," even once the water is gone, says Alm. "There have been a number of scientific studies that have shown that these bacteria and viruses can persist in sediments [and] soils," she says. "One of the things that we've been looking at in particular is these bacteria. They seem to be pretty stable in the environment." "A lot of this water they're pumping back into the lake, so the bacteria [and] probably the viruses too, can settle back into the sediment and then stay for long periods of time," says Alm.

more at link....
 
With dead bodies of humans, and animals, raw sewage and no telling what all else in the water, how TOXIC do you think it is????
 
At least 4 people have now died in Texas from diseases they got wading in and living in the water and many others are either sick or have bad wound infections so I would say it's deadly. Texas is warning that more may die - even after being rescued. Many of the evacuees were not in the best of health to begin with and the toxic water has exacted a higher toll on them than normally might be seen. Kids who already had asthma are also showing increased repiratory problems, and I am sure there are other problems ahead that are not in evidence yet.
Migratory birds are on their way to the Southern Coastal regions for winter and with the Mississippi River, Lake Ponchatrain and the entire Gulf Region polluted, oil on the water and deadly petro-chemicals IN it these birds will suffer in great numbers as well. Already water fowl are dead by the thousands. With water toxic, fish dead and plants dead from the pollution all mammal species who live in these regions are endangered - they too will die by the thousands in the coming weeks - either by poison or by lack of food. This is the tragedy that hasn't even been TALKED about yet except by us "tree-hugger types". And speaking of trees - all those beautiful old live oaks and other trees - well they are doomed too - drowned by flooding and burned by pollution and salt water. Watch them sicken and die by the thousands over the next year. Every home that has been innundated by these toxic waters will have to be destroyed. Acres of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast will be bulldozed flat and unless the top layer of soil is scraped out the soil will be so toxic with chemicals and salt nothing will grow.
New Orleans will NEVER be the same.
The EPA has already made the report and the water has some levels of chemicals, bacteria and toxins that are so high they are off the EPA charts. What the hurricane and flooding didn't kill, the pollution will.

But hey, so long as Halliburton and the oil and gas companies can still make a buck everything will be just fine.
 
West Nile is all over south Lousiana. Do you have a source for your info, dani? I'm wondering if that is 9 confirmed cases in HUMANS or birds? Because here in Lafayette if we find a dead bird we take it to the health unit and they have it tested. If it tests positive, it's reported as a "confirmed case." A bird found down the block from me was positive. Talk about spraying yourself down with OFF. I'll worry about the deet thing later! We do have humans who have it, too, but at a much lower rate.


Editing: the oil on the water is going to be the least of the long term problems. I hate to mention Halliburton, but Halliburton is experienced in removing oil from water. There's this stuff they throw on top and it absorbs oil only. They then pick up the stuff and the water is clean of oil. The chemicals and bacteria, those are going to be forever type contamination.

I just told my husband that we will have to buy frozen fish from other areas; this will be a first for us. Living by the gulf, we are so spoiled, we have only had fresh seafood.
 
What illnesses can come of all of this toxicity? I've heard a few mentioned, but I'm sure I'm missing a ton.

*Hepatitis
*Tetanus
*Dysentary
*West Nile Virus
*Cholera
 
"Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said five died this week from vibrio vulnificus, a rarely active bacteria that is part of the cholera family."

"Meanwhile officials said tests showed New Orleans floodwaters contain unsafe levels of E. coli and coliform bacteria, as well as lead, and contact with the water should be avoided, Environmental Protection Agency chief Stephen Johnson urged yesterday."
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=121439&Sn=WORL&IssueID=28172
 
dani said:
I just heard, on Hannity and Colmes on FOX, a guy say that fish swimming around in the flood waters of the city are jumping out of the water and throwing themselves up onto the piles of rubble to die. This ought to be a clue to even the clueless. :doh:

I will not be buying fish from the gulf area for a lo-o-ong time, if ever again.

I can't believe the governor of Louisiana not insisting on a forced evacuation. She wants to wait until the water tests she sent off come back, which will be another 3 or 4 days. Meanwhile, more and more citizens will be getting sick. Some people need to be protected from themselves. :banghead:

I also heard that there were 9 confirmed cases of "West Nile" in N.O. BEFORE Katrina hit, but it wasn't publicized.
When the governor met with Bush and the mayor and said she wanted 24 hours to think about it I thought she should be forced to go without food and water while she thought. For this I think she should wade around in that water several times a day while she waits for the test results.
 
tipper said:
When the governor met with Bush and the mayor and said she wanted 24 hours to think about it I thought she should be forced to go without food and water while she thought. For this I think she should wade around in that water several times a day while she waits for the test results.
:clap: I like that idea!!! :clap:
 
Gabby said:
With dead bodies of humans, and animals, raw sewage and no telling what all else in the water, how TOXIC do you think it is????

If this is directed to me because of the title of the thread, I realize it's toxic, but what I'm wondering about the wisdom of pumping it out into the lake and river. Is it expected that the toxins will become so diluted with fresh water that they'll no longer be a danger?
 
Mabel said:
If this is directed to me because of the title of the thread, I realize it's toxic, but what I'm wondering about the wisdom of pumping it out into the lake and river. Is it expected that the toxins will become so diluted with fresh water that they'll no longer be a danger?

Where would you suggest they put it, tho?
 
Mabel said:
If this is directed to me because of the title of the thread, I realize it's toxic, but what I'm wondering about the wisdom of pumping it out into the lake and river. Is it expected that the toxins will become so diluted with fresh water that they'll no longer be a danger?


That's a good question Mabel. I suspect that it will cause problems in the immediate "dumping" areas, but I suspect that over time it will become diluted enough that it won't be deadly. I just think that so much damage will be done to wildlife and the environment by then that its really going to be horrible.
 
less0305 said:
Where would you suggest they put it, tho?

I have no idea. Perhaps it could be treated with some type of disinfectants as it's pumped out? Just because I don't have the answer doesn't mean I can't ask questions. I'd hate to see this tragedy spread to other areas or kill off marine life because of the poisoned water.
 
The environmental impact of this disaster is going to be evident for years to come.
 
Mabel said:
I have no idea. Perhaps it could be treated with some type of disinfectants as it's pumped out? Just because I don't have the answer doesn't mean I can't ask questions. I'd hate to see this tragedy spread to other areas or kill off marine life because of the poisoned water.

Oh, I didn't mean that!!! Please don't think I do. I'm really at a loss as to how they can get the water out fast, but yet, get the water out so as not to hurt the environment. I thought they had to pump it out fast because they need to begin going from house to house. I didn't think they could wait to come up with the engineering and means to treat it while they pump it. I really meant no harm.
 
tybee204 said:
The environmental impact of this disaster is going to be evident for years to come.
Can you imagine what it will be like for those personnel assigned to finally remove bodies from the floodwaters??? The bodies they have shown are so bloated from decomposition gases; the bodies rupture when the pressure of the decomposiition gases become too great, further contaminating the water. After a week and a half in that heat, it's a real mess. Too bad they couldn't have had crews working the body removal at the same time other crews were performing the rescue work. It's hard to imagine the number of bodies could number into the thousands as it wouldn't seem possible. Still we won't know for sure until the water is puimped out of the city and the homes can be inspected one-by-one.
 

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