As I’ve stated on another thread, I think believing anything the government says about how toxic the air or water is in New Orleans is pure folly. Considering what we know about the EPA coverup of the toxins in lower Manhattan after 9/11, to do otherwise is simply irrational.
And, wouldn’t you know it, thanks to the Independent UK, we get word that not only is New Orleans definitely toxic but that parts of the city may not be inhabitable by humans for up to a decade:
Toxic chemicals in the New Orleans flood waters will make the city unsafe for full human habitation for a decade, a US government official has told The Independent on Sunday. And, he added, the Bush administration is covering up the danger.
In an exclusive interview, Hugh Kaufman, an expert on toxic waste and responses to environmental disasters at the US Environmental Protection Agency, said the way the polluted water was being pumped out was increasing the danger to health.
The pollution was far worse than had been admitted, he said, because his agency was failing to take enough samples and was refusing to make public the results of those it had analyzed…
(More of the article is available here)
I actually started looking into this more because of my natural skepticism when I saw that Kevin Drum was saying the toxic soup in New Orleans was a myth based upon an article that didn’t even really support his argument:
The generally optimistic view of the experts here contrasted somewhat with the impression given yesterday by Stephen L. Johnson, administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, at a telephone news conference from Washington. Johnson stressed the uncertainty over toxic hazards that remain in flooded parts of the city.
For how long will we be uncertain about the environmental dangers in New Orleans?