Katrina: Environment Experts Worried About Pollution In Gulf Of Mexico

WATERWORLD

illustration only

Washington (AFP) Sep 13, 2005
Environmental scientists on Tuesday painted a grim picture about the impact of Hurricane Katrina, fearing chemical pollution from devastated sites could contaminate groundwater, fisheries and seafood.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Stephen Johnson said samples of floodwater in New Orleans were "highly contaminated with bacteria, both E. (Escherichia) coli and coliform, and high levels of lead".

He told the CNBC network that tests are being done on sediment, which is contaminated in some areas with a lot of oil and which scientists say could store chemical toxins for years.

"Obviously, we're concerned about both the ecological effects of the storm as well as effects on industry, particularly the fishing industry," Johnson said.

In a teleconference with journalists, environmental scientists underlined that the EPA needs to stay vigilant.

"It's absolutely essential that aggressive monitoring takes place," Jeffery Foran, president of the Midwest Center for Environmental Science and Public Policy, said.

He said the agency should urgently look at specific locations where dioxin, a byproduct of the chemical industry that is stored in the tissues rather than degrades with time, was stored.

By Foran's estimate, millions of pounds (kilogrammes) of toxic waste was stored in the New Orleans area, including two pounds (900 grammes) of dioxin.

"Dioxin is a very toxic chemical, and if it's released into the environment, accumulates very quickly," said Foran.

If only one percent of the stored amount is released and only one percent of that makes it into the Gulf of Mexico, that would be sufficient to contaminate 20 million fish - itself enough to trigger warnings not to eat the fish, Foran said.

Another area of concern is the runoff from untreated sewage, which would encourage oxygen-starving blooms of algae in the sea and Lake Pontchartrain, which abuts New Orleans, said Hans Paerl, professor of marine and environmental science at the University of North Carolina.

Water is being pumped into Lake Pontchartrain from the flooded streets of New Orleans, and then drains into the Gulf.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

WATERWORLD

Deep-Water Fishing Wrecking Ireland's Coral Treasures

Dublin (AFP) Sep 05 2005
Modern deep-water fishing techniques are seriously damaging huge sections of cold water coral reefs in the Atlantic Ocean off Ireland's west coast, a marine biologist said on Monday.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.