Issues: Health

New Orleans Environmental Quality Test Results
Two years after Katrina, the soil in some parts of New Orleans, including schools and playgrounds, is contaminated with high levels of arsenic.


An NRDC scientific team has made repeated trips to New Orleans, beginning in October 2005, to investigate potential health threats in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The following pages present detailed results of testing by NRDC, the EPA and other groups, as well as a health advisory and cleanup recommendations for individuals and government agencies. Federal officials have failed to monitor adequately for these health risks and have neglected to warn the people of New Orleans of the threat to their safety.
WATCH THE VIDEO


A New Day In New Orleans
 

READ AN OVERVIEW
Rebuilding New Orleans


 
VIEW CLOSEUPS
(GOOGLE EARTH REQ'D)


If you've got Google Earth installed, click here to zoom in on NRDC sampling locations and results.

(Don't have Google Earth? Download it here.)


 
OR NAVIGATE NRDC'S NEIGHBORHOOD DATA


QUICK REFERENCE
Press Release 8.27.07: Arsenic Contamination Found at New Orleans Schoolyards
Press Release 2.23.06: NRDC Analyzes EPA Sediment Data
Press Release 12.28.05: Updated Mold Findings and Advice
Press Release 12.1.05: Sediment Findings
Press Release 11.16.05: Mold Findings

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RETURNING RESIDENTS
School and Playground Arsenic Advisory
Removing Mold from Your Home
Health Advisory

2007 TESTING RESULTS
Katrina's Wake: Arsenic-Laced Schools and Playgrounds Put New Orleans Children at Risk

 

2006 TESTING RESULTS

DRINKING WATER QUALITY
Analysis (449 KB pdf)
Map (297 KB pdf)

2005 TESTING RESULTS

EPA'S SEDIMENT-CONTAMINATION DATA
Analysis (2 MB pdf)
Maps (2 MB pdf)

NRDC TEST RESULTS
Toxic Metals in the Air
Sediment Contamination
Mold
Particulate Pollution
Endotoxin

NRDC TEST RESULTS BY NEIGHBORHOOD

Orleans Parish
Bywater (Agriculture St. Landfill)
French Quarter
Gentilly
Lakeview
Lower Ninth Ward
Mid-City
New Orleans East
Uptown/Carrollton

Jefferson Parish
Metairie

St. Bernard Parish
Chalmette

Other
Mandeville

RELATED PAGES
On the Ground in New Orleans: Photo Journal
Environmental Policy Discussions After Hurricane Katrina

NRDC'S PARTNERS IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA
Advocates for Environmental Human Rights
Common Ground
Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
Louisiana Bucket Brigade
Louisiana Environmental Action Network
People's Hurricane Relief Fund
Physicians for Social Responsibility-Louisiana
Sierra Club, Delta Chapter
Holy Cross Neighborhood Association

last revised 8.24.07

Sign Up For Our Monthly Newsletter

See the latest issue >

Related Stories

Simple Steps
A healthier you. A healthier home. A healthier Earth.
Is Organic Food Worth It?
The short answer is yes -- get the lowdown from This Green Life.
Pet Products May Harm Both Pets and Humans
Poisons in many pet pesticide products are not safe for pets or humans.
Dispatch from Toxic Town
The people of Anniston, Alabama, talk about what it's like to live with the lead, PCBs, and chemical weapons that have made their small town terribly toxic.

Find Your Favorite NRDC website

News & Blogs:
OnEarth
Switchboard
Nature's Voice
Activism:
BioGems
Polar Bear SOS
Health & Green Living:
Simple Steps
This Green Life
Global Warming & Energy:
Beat the Heat
Move America Beyond Oil
Ocean Protection:
Your Oceans
For Kids:
Green Squad
For Business:
Building Green
Market Innovation
Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2)
NRDC Cool Sites:
It's Your Nature
GreenDay+NRDC