Hurricane Katrina - Mesothelioma & Asbestos Exposure Risks

With a force only nature could create, Hurricane Katrina blew into southern Louisiana on the morning of August 29, 2005. A violent Category 3 hurricane at landfall, Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast with such a force that it quickly became the costliest and one of the five deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history. Making way with steady 125 mph winds and 140 mph gusts, the tempest hit the Gulf Coast with a devastating storm surge that forever changed the face of the coastline.

The surge beset Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. New Orleans was one of the hardest-hit areas, as the federal flood protection system reluctantly failed. The storm surge ultimately caused 53 separate levee breaches and subsequently flooded 80 percent of New Orleans. Responsible for $81.2 billion in damage, Hurricane Katrina is by far the costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. The storm and its aftermath claimed at least 1,836 lives and 705 are still missing - making it the deadliest hurricane since the Okeechobee Hurricane hit in 1928.

The majority of residents heeded the evacuation plea (which applied to 1.2 million residents), but thousands upon thousands chose to ride out the storm. The devastation made New Orleans both a dangerous and toxic place. Destruction from the hurricane and subsequent cleanup efforts caused the release of toxins into the air. Possible sources of pollutants has included spills of volatile chemicals, leaks from industrial plants, dust from building demolition, debris transport, and contaminated sediment, as well as smoke from the open burning of debris. Due to its extreme prevalence, one of the major contaminants of concern is asbestos.

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) website covering response to Hurricane Katrina reports: "All structures (both residential and commercial) built before 1975 may contain significant amounts of asbestos. In particular large structures built before 1975 typically contain asbestos pipe wrap, siding, ceiling tiles, and other building materials high in asbestos content. Additionally, structures built after 1975 may also contain asbestos."

The threat of asbestos exposure was practically everywhere, and became a serious concern for those who did not evacuate and those assisting in the cleanup. The violent storm tore buildings in two, exposing many asbestos-containing materials to air and water. With 80 percent of New Orleans flooded, if a structure was not destroyed by the sheer force of the storm, it was surely destroyed from the standing water that remained stagnant for weeks. These structures had to be demolished in the cleanup process (and many have yet to undergo demolition), which increases the risk of asbestos contaminating the air, soil, and water.

More than two years later, the city is still coping with hurricane-related debris and many irreparable homes remain standing. Struggling to rebuild infrastructure, a sense of normalcy has yet to be restored for the residents of New Orleans. As cleanup efforts continue, so does the risk for human exposure to asbestos. Money and time constraints are still compromising safety when it comes to asbestos abatement, and this will most likely continue until more rigorous regulations are enforced.