As the Louisiana floodwaters begin to recede, the suspended mixture of human waste and chemicals contained in them continues to linger, posing a major health threat to aid workers and returning residents.
An accumulation of sewage, oil and countless chemicals, combined together with stagnant water, has created a pervasive toxic mire.
The slow retreat of the floodwaters, coupled with the intense Louisiana heat of the past two weeks, has turned the sludge into a lethal breeding ground for dangerous bacteria and disease-carrying mosquitoes.
In a statment made last Wednesday, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said that the \dark water in the area contains 10 times the acceptable amount of E. coli bacteria,"" and indicated that this could pose an acute health risk to anyone who might come into contact with the water.
Despite the city's best efforts to curb human contact with the sludge, residents continue to wade barefoot through the muck. If the water is ingested or comes into contact with open wounds, it could cause serious illness or infection.
In a UW statement, Dennis Maki, Ovid O. Meyer Professor of Medicine, said the most likely infections that might arise are enteric, affecting the general intestinal tract and caused by bacterium like E. coli, salmonella and Hepatitis A. Maki also indicated that the most pressing task for workers is to restore fresh drinking water and to repair sewer systems. ""Any delays would be catastrophic,"" he said.
Although the most dangerous areas of the city, particularly those with over several feet of sludge still pervading the streets, will not be re-opened to residents and business owners until they are deemed safe, the hazard continues to grow for rescue workers.
June Shakhashiri, Disaster Services Human Resources Administrator for the Badger Chapter of the Red Cross, is in charge of sending Badger Chapter volunteers to the Gulf Coast in the wake of Katrina. Because of the major health risk, ""Red Cross workers who normally go from house to house after a major disaster in search of 'clients' have been put on hold for this task in New Orleans,"" said Shakhashiri.
Shakhashiri added that she hopes workers will be able to enter New Orleans as early as this week; however, any volunteers will ""need proof they are up to date on their tetanus and hepatitis vaccines.""
Lt. Gen. Carl Strock, head of the Army Corps of Engineers, told reporters that ""we will look for hot spots as we draw the water down, and if we get an area that is particularly toxic, we will try to control that instead of dumping it back into the lake.""
Nevertheless, the cleanup and removal of the residual mud promises to be one of the most challenging tasks for aid workers and the city of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
