Schoolyards Hit by Hurricane Katrina Need Attention

Schoolyards Hit by Hurricane Katrina Need Attention



Aug. 2007  - Six New Orleans 
schoolyards tested after Hurricane Katrina were found to be contaminated 
with arsenic in amounts at least double the levels requiring cleanup under 
both state and federal law, finds a report released today by the Natural 
Resources Defense Council, NRDC, but state and federal environmental 
agencies have done nothing to clean them up. 
In March, NRDC researchers sampled 116 residential, elementary school, and 
playground sites in New Orleans. 
Results showed that six of the 19 schoolyards tested contained soil that 
exceeded cleanup guidelines for arsenic established by the Louisiana 
Department of Environmental Quality, LDEQ, and the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, EPA. Two playgrounds and four residential areas also . 
The schools that tested high in arsenic, in order of high to lower levels 
of contamination, are - McDonogh Elementary (#42) in the Mid-City area; 
John Dibert Elementary School in Mid-City; Drew Elementary in 
Bywater/St.Claude; Craig Elementary in Mid-City; Medard H. Nelson 
Elementary in the Uptown/Carrollton area; and McMain Magnet Secondary 
School in Uptown/Carrollton.

On first learning of the test results in June, the NRDC says it 
immediately informed both state and federal agencies. But with school now 
back in session, neither agency has taken any measures to protect 
students. 
Both LDEQ and EPA responded to the June warning with letters stating that 
they are not authorized to move forward on clean-up or a site assessment 
unless the schools can prove that Hurricane Katrina was the cause of the 
contaminated sediment. 
The NRDC says it has learned that LDEQ recently conducted sampling at four 
of the six schoolyards with contaminated soil, after the school year 
began, but the state agency has not made the results of these tests 
public. 
"Families who have chosen to return to rebuild their communities shouldn't 
have to worry that their children are playing in schoolyards contaminated 
with cancer-causing chemicals," said Gina Solomon, MD, a senior scientist 
with NRDC and a co-author of the report. "State and federal agencies are 
ducking their legal and moral responsibility to the people of New 
Orleans." 
Health experts at NRDC and local groups say the arsenic contamination was 
left behind in the layers of sediment coating much of the city in the wake 
of Katrina's flooding. 
They say the recommended solution in most cases is to remove and replace 
the first six inches of contaminated soil. Sampling should also be done at 
more locations around the city to make sure that other contaminated sites 
have not been missed, say the national and local environmental groups. 
"There is no justification for allowing arsenic to be anywhere near 
residents or children," said Wilma Subra, a chemist for the Louisiana 
Environmental Action Network. "Now that we know the film of sediment 
covering parts of New Orleans contains high levels of arsenic, we need our 
government to take action and clean it up." 
LDEQ officials have argued that the contamination predated the August 29, 
2005 storm. 
But NRDC says its researchers crosschecked samples from 63 locations in 
residential areas throughout the city against samples collected before the 
storm, and confirmed that before Katrina, arsenic was not a problem in 
most of them. 
"There is strong evidence to prove Hurricane Katrina exacerbated arsenic 
levels throughout the city," said Al Huang, environmental justice attorney 
for NRDC, and a co-author of the report. "Regardless of the cause, there 
are children being exposed to arsenic today, and it is the duty of our 
government to right that wrong." 
The arsenic found in this sediment could have originated from multiple 
sources, including the accumulation of arsenic-based pesticides displaced 
from the bottom of Lake Pontchartrain, trash incineration, leakage from 
industrial sites, or lumber treated with chromium-copper arsenate. 
Since Katrina, neither the LDEQ nor the EPA has conducted a cleanup of 
contaminated sediment. 
Arsenic is toxic to humans, and is known to cause cancer, birth defects, 
cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders. No amount of arsenic 
exposure is considered fully safe. 
Soil contaminated with arsenic can be inhaled when the dirt is moved. It 
can also enter the body through the eyes or mouth. Children are 
particularly vulnerable. 
"The testing shows that our children are being exposed to dangerously high 
levels of arsenic," said Beverly Wright, Director of Deep South Center for 
Environmental Justice. 
"It is the government's responsibility to provide clean and healthy 
schools for our children, and it is their duty and moral obligation to 
help this city get back on its feet," Wright said. "In the meantime, 
community-based projects will continue to do the hard work of cleaning up 
our own neighborhoods block-by-block." 
The report was prepared by NRDC's experts on health and environmental 
justice and is available online. 

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