children's lead exposure (by Howard Mielke, Christopher Gonzales and Eric Powell) ... the Louisiana Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention ...
BAYOU CHEMIST
August 31, 2015
New Orleans before and after Hurricane Katrina/Rita: The temporal‐dynamic changes in children’s lead exposure (by Howard Mielke, Christopher Gonzales and Eric Powell) After the August 29, 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (HKR) two hypotheses were published regarding the expected impact that storm‐related flooding had on the lead hazards and Blood Lead Levels (BLLs) in New Orleans. One hypothesis proposed an increase of lead hazard accompanied by increased BLLs because the cleanup would include haphazard renovation of homes releasing and contaminating the environment with lead and thus place children at increased risk for lead exposure (Rabito et al. 2012). A second hypothesis postulated that because of the enormous amount of low lead sediment washed into New Orleans during the storm surge, soil lead decreased and BLLs would also decline (Zahran et al. 2010). Exploiting the 2005 hurricane‐related flooding as a defining environmental event, we evaluated New Orleans temporal‐spatial dynamics of clinical blood lead levels before and after the storm surge and the consequences it had on children’s BLLs. The before and after HKR BLLs results were provided by the Louisiana Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. The results are summarized by both time and location in the city in the graph below. The graphic is a depiction of changes in BLLs before and after HKR (29 August 2005) in Metropolitan New Orleans. Three BLL Surveys are included, 2000‐2005, 2006‐2010 and 2011‐2015. The BLLs are organized temporally by Census Tracts (CTs). CTs below 135 are New Orleans Parish residential areas and CTs above 199 are from residential areas in outlying Parishes. Note the large reduction in BLL from before HKR to after HKR and BLLs disparities between Orleans vs. Jefferson and St. Bernard Parishes The major question needing study is the research gap regarding the effectiveness of soil intervention as a method for reducing clinical blood lead levels of young children. One way to answer that question requires repeating the soil metal survey in post‐Hurricane New Orleans. See also: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/150819‐new‐orleans‐katrina‐lead‐ poisoning‐hurricane‐children‐environment‐health‐pollution/ References: Rabito FA, Iqbal S, Perry S, Arroyave W, Rice JC. 2012. Environmental lead after Hurricane Katrina: Implications for future populations. Environ Health Perspect.120:180–184. Zahran S, Mielke HW, Gonzales CR, Powell ET, Weiler S. 2010. New Orleans before and after Hurricanes Katrina/Rita: A Quasi‐Experiment of the association between soil lead and children’s blood lead. Environ. Sci. Technol.44:4433–40. Bayou Chemist 4
