Health Concerns Associated with Mold in Water-Damaged Homes After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita – New Orleans Area, Louisiana, October 2005

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Brown, Catherine M. ; Callahan, D. ; Cummings, Kristin J. ; Davis, S. I. ; Dunn, Kevin H. ; Ferdinands, J. ; Moolenaar, R. L. ; Pinkerton, L. ; Rao, Carol Y. ; Ratard, R. ; Riggs, Margaret A. ; Scalia, Marissa R. ; Van Sickle, D.
• Description:
  After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita made landfall on August 29 and September 24, 2005, respectively, large sections of New Orleans (Orleans Parish) and the three surrounding parishes (Jefferson, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard) were flooded for weeks, leading to extensive mold growth in buildings. As residents reoccupied the city, local health-care providers and public health authorities were concerned about the potential for respiratory health effects from exposure to water-damaged homes. On October 6, CDC was invited by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (LDHH) to assist in documenting the extent of potential exposures. This report summarizes the results of that investigation, which determined that 46% of inspected homes had visible mold growth and that residents and remediation workers did not consistently use appropriate respiratory protection. Public health interventions should emphasize the importance of safe remediation practices and ensure the availability of recommended personal protective equipment. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Emergencies Emergency Responders Environmental Monitoring Fungi Irritants Microbiology Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety
• Keywords:
  Bacteria Emergency-response Exposure-assessment Microorganisms Molds Personal-protective-equipment Region-6 Rescue-workers Respirators Respiratory-irritants Respiratory-protective-equipment Safety-practices

  More +
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Publisher:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (U.S.)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Louisiana ; OSHA Region 6
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  36 pdf pages
• Volume:
  55
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20029499
• Citation:
  MMWR 2006 Jan; 55(2):41-44
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:bdd2cfd10b8c01a508ef7aadf2697d9060ca5ab272886abcbb0341858d6ddff612141ea55ff79fcd6d88a0e4a7fe3cfa0892b8789e7eba55172ad927c71ea0d6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/183124/cdc_183124_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 535.06 KB ]