How serious a health problem is the pollution in Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf?
Weiss: The Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control are trying to determine the answer to this question. Results of the EPA’s first round of testing were no surprise, and they reinforced warnings that everyone still in the city take precautions to avoid getting the water on their skin—especially into cuts or other open wounds—much less in their mouths. The first tests turned up elevated levels of E. coli and other coliform bacteria and lead. But these are only preliminary tests from residential areas and not industrial sites where other toxic contaminants exist. Thus we still don’t know what else is contained in the water. Rescue workers should wear protective clothing and gloves before entering flooded areas and be careful not to splash the dirty water into their faces. Clean water and soap should be used to wash exposed skin as soon as possible. Once the water is drained out of the city, contamination is expected to persist. Bacteria can live on surfaces an
