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The Environmental Health and Emergency Preparedness Impacts of Hurricane Katrina.

Storms of this magnitude coupled with floodwater inundation reveal how complex the sources and types of chemical and elemental hazards can be, hazards that include pollutants mobilized from hazardous waste sites, oil spills, and formaldehyde off-gassing in temporary housing units 1 Adverse respiratory outcomes associated with both acute and chronic exposures to particulate matter, including biological and chemical hazards, were prevalent in Katrina disaster victims, first responders, and the workforce, including transient volunteers, who are typically involved in remediation, demolition, and cleanup of affected residential and industrial areas 2 Noise exposure and heat stress associated with heavy equipment use and physical labor during summer months in hurricane-prone regions are consistent sources of disaster-related injury Duration and frequency of exposures must be considered in addition to the levels or concentrations of the pollutants Because proper and accurate exposure assessments were and continue to be poorly documented before and after disasters, it remains a public health challenge to clearly associate exposures with particular chemicals or toxins with adverse health outcomes Excessive standing floodwaters, flooded swimming pools, and warmer temperatures after Katrina provided optimal conditions for mosquito larvae, including the vector of West Nile virus;cases of West Nile fever nearly doubled compared with previous years but have since stabilized to average ranges 4 The crowding of infected and susceptible hosts, interruptions of ongoing control programs, and a weakened public health infrastructure further increased risk factors for the transmission of vector-borne diseases Correspondence should be sent to Stephen A Murphy, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal St, Suite 2100, New Orleans, LA 70112 (e-mail: smurphy1@ tulane edu)