The effect of Katrina in the Gulf Coast: A study in Mold Proliferation Dr. Blanca Cortes Microbiology Laboratory Director and General Manager bcortes@emsl.com (407) 599-5887 EMSL Analytical Inc.-Orlando, Florida 32804 WWW.EMSL.COM
Record Breaking season: 27 named storms/14 hurricanes
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita battered Gulf coast states
Hurricane Katrina (August 29, 2005) Costliest ($80 Billion) since Andrew in 1992 ($26.5 Billion) Deadliest since 1928: at least 1300 deaths Among the top six strongest hurricanes, sharing headlines with Wilma (Oct 2005) and Rita (September 2005)
Mississipi was in shambles
Louisiana was under water...
When the water subsided.
Ceilings collapsed...
Water intrusion was evident...
In walls...
Behind base boards...
On ceiling tiles...
Leading to Mold Proliferation...
Mold Survey September 2005 to March 2006 318 Buildings were examined 1877 air trap samples were analyzed 1639 from Louisiana 238 from Mississippi
Genera typically associated with water damage conditions Chaetomium Epicoccum Fusarium Stachybotrys Ulocladium
This survey looks at genera and concentration of mold spores/m 3 to assess mold amplification in standing buildings affected by Katrina
Rapid onset versus gradual proliferation Post-Katrina Spore Survey September 2005-March 2006 12000000 10000000 Spores/m3 8000000 6000000 4000000 2000000 0 Sept/05 Oct/05 Nov/05 Dec/05 Jan/06 Feb/06 Mar/06 Louisiana In Mississippi In
A closer look...
Most Common Genera Identified by Spore-trap Analysis
Aspergillus/Penicillium species most prevalent contaminant
Asp-Pen % of total spores was higher in LA 10-fold difference in Asp-Pen concentrations seen between LA and MS
Indoor amplification was evident
Cladosporium... Amplification was evident for LA with Indoor concentrations 62% higher than Outdoor concentrations No significant difference was appreciated in MS between indoor and outdoor concentrations
No significant amplification was observed in Mississippi
Hard (Basidiomycetes) and soft (Ascomycetes) wood-rotter amplification was also evident in Louisiana
Different water damage indicators were detected in each State LOUISIANA Ulocladium/Pithomyces (180M spores/m3) Chaetomium (25M spores/m3) Stachybotrys (20M spores/m3) Epicoccum (<1M spores/m3) MISSISSIPPI Paecilomyces (3.7MM spores/m3) Stachybotrys echinata (Memnoniella) (292M spores/m3) Scopulariopsis (283M spores/m3)
S. chartarum vs S. echinata Stachybotrys chartarum, a wet spore, was detected indoors in Louisiana Stachybotrys echinata (Memnoniella), a dry spore, was highly amplified indoors in Mississippi
Peak amplification represented only 3% of the total number of spores
Chaetomium Gradual concentration increases observed in Louisiana, peaking in December 2005 No significant amplification was detected in Mississippi Sept Oct Nov Dec Feb Mar 1315 8024 24108 25641 6235 4948 Indoor concentrations in Louisiana
Indoor amplification was evident in Louisiana...
Ulocladium... (Spores/m3) Sept Oct Nov Dec Louisiana 525 6025 5884 171291 Mississippi 39955 21 882 372 Gradual amplification was detected in LA
10-fold higher Paecilomyces amplification seen in Mississippi than in Louisiana
10-fold higher Scopulariopsis amplification seen in Mississippi than in Louisiana
Epicoccum was detected in both states
Genera with amplification>50m spores/m3 Louisiana Aspergillus/Penicillium>Cladosporium> Pithomyces>Curvularia>Stachybotrys chartarum Mississippi Aspergillus/Penicillium>Paecilomyces> Scopulariopsis>Stachybotrys echinata (Memnoniella)>Cladosporium>Curvularia
Conclusions... Mold proliferation was detected in both states. Gradual amplification in Louisiana possibly due to standing waters, allowing for greater diversification of water-damage associated genera to proliferate versus rapid onset in Mississippi where flooding was not an issue
Situation getting better, but far from over
Feb 06 first signs of reconstruction