New Orleans: pestilent vs chemical plagues

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the potential health risks associated with chemical and biological contamination in New Orleans following a disaster. Participants explore the implications of chemical leaching into floodwaters and its effects on microbial life, as well as the broader risks of disease transmission in the context of a potential pandemic.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that chemicals leached into floodwater might reduce biological hazards by eliminating microbial vectors of disease.
  • Others argue that the possibility of chemicals reducing biological hazards is low and may instead increase pathogenic activity by harming natural enemies of pathogens.
  • One participant notes the diversity of bacteria, suggesting that while some may die off, others will thrive due to the nutrients provided by dead bodies and vegetation.
  • Concerns are raised about the uneven distribution of toxins, which could create areas where bacteria can flourish.
  • Another participant emphasizes that biological contamination poses a greater risk due to its potential for rapid spread, despite the presence of chemical pollutants.
  • Questions are raised about the likelihood of a pandemic spreading from New Orleans to other parts of the USA.
  • Some participants reference the situation in Bangladesh and other flood-prone areas to draw parallels and seek lessons learned.
  • There is a mention of the CDC's reports on infections linked to the disaster and the measures being taken in shelters to mitigate risks.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relative risks posed by chemical versus biological contamination, with no consensus reached on the overall implications for public health or the likelihood of a pandemic.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the complexity of the situation, including the potential for varying concentrations of toxins and the challenges of decontaminating soil and water. There are also references to the limitations of current knowledge regarding the spread of infections.

Loren Booda
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We first heard of the contagions spread by human waste, dead bodies and mosquitoes around New Orleans. Next came the threat of seepage by poisons, petrochemicals and other toxins into its water.

What do you think is the possibility that the chemicals leached into the flood water actually reduce the potential biological hazard, eliminating many microbial vectors of disease?
 
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I would think it is a poor possibility, or if it is happening it is a subtle effect. I also see a possibility that it might cause an increase in pathogenic activity by damaging natural enemies of pathogens. Spilled fertilizer could cause an algae bloom and subsequent algae die-off which could reduce the oxygen content of the water. Oxygen is a natural enemy of anaerobic bacteria.
 
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There are so many types of bacteria that where one dies off, another thrives. All the dead bodies and vegetation are going to provide plenty of nutrients for bacteria. I also don't expect the various toxins will be uniformly distributed, so there will be areas of lower concentrations of toxins to harbor bacteria.

They might be able to clean and rebuild buildings, but I don't know how they'll ever decontaminate all the soil and water. Has anyone heard anything about that aspect? Nature will take its slow course in dealing with organic matter, but it's not going to make it habitable to humans any time soon.
 
Gotta agree with Moonbear on this one. While there will be point sources where toxicant/chemical pollution may cause some risk, the overwhelming risk will be to biological contamination. One would assume that the major reason for this is that, in general, the further one gets from the source of a chemical spill, the more dilute the agent becomes and thus risk decreases (you may have heard:the solution to pollution is dilution (this doesn't always work, but in this case it should rule the majority)). The biological contamination can bloom out of control and spread rapidly to reach dangerous levels in a short time across a large area. Once again "the dose makes the poison" and with an ever increasing potential for biological exposure due to uncontrolled growth, there lies the greatest risk.
 
What are the possiblilities of a pandemic occurring throughout the USA from what is happening in New Orleans?
 
DocToxyn said:
While there will be point sources where toxicant/chemical pollution may cause some risk, the overwhelming risk will be to biological contamination.
That seems to fail to address the question.
 
What can we learn from Bangladesh and other flood-prone, highly populated areas?
 
hitssquad said:
That seems to fail to address the question.

Maybe I wasn't blatantly clear, but if I stated that the overwhelming risk would be to biological contamination, then that would logically follow that I don't hold much faith in the chemical pollution "outcompeting" the biological.
 
From AP

The danger of infection was not limited to the New Orleans area. The bacteria are feared to have migrated to crowded shelters outside the state, where many evacuees are staying. Four deaths _ one in Texas, three in Mississippi _ have been attributed to infected wounds, said Tom Skinner, spokesman for the CDC.
http://www.rr.com/html/fs.cfm?p=16&m=157&xml=/xml/news/story.cfm?storyId=2457600&parentview=NEWS

I know they are now taking any cloths that had gotten wet, and are burning them. Also at the shelters they have passed out thousands of disinfectint hand wipes and have warn mothers to watch and wash there children's hands/toys often.
I don't think we need to worry about a nation wide pandemic, the rest of us have access to clean water/soap
 

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