With the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina passing, the cleanup project for the city of New Orleans is far from over. In fact, a new set of problems has arisen since the project began, the most concerning one being the threat of asbestos cancer.

The Government Accountability Office said earlier this week that the cleanup work is nowhere near over, with more than 6,000 homes still needing to be demolished. The GAO reported to congress that there are many environmental problems involved in the project.

In the report, John B. Stephenson, GAO director for natural resources and environment, wrote, “Nearly three years later, the New Orleans area still faces significant debris management issues and challenges.”

Among these challenges are issues involving illegal dumping of waste and the disposal of hazardous waste at landfills that are not equipped to handle such materials.

Regulators who inspected local landfills found items such as tires, medical waste, and creosote telephone poles that were dumped without the required authorization. Other landfill issues include the breaking of discharge limits, and failure to cover waste with soil every two weeks.

In addition, there have been problems relating to the mishandling of asbestos-containing waste. According to the GAO report, at least seven incidents of asbestos mishandling have been noted.

Storms that cause an enormous level of destruction to homes and buildings can increase the risk of asbestos exposure dramatically. Many asbestos-containing materials were used in the construction of older homes, and when these materials are damaged toxic asbestos fibers are likely to be released into the air.

If these fibers are inhaled or ingested into the body, they can attach to the mesothelial lining of the lungs, heart, and abdomen. And since the body in unable to expel these fibers, serious diseases such as mesothelioma can result.

Sam Coleman, an Environmental Protection Agency official overseeing the Katrina cleanup project, says every step has been taken to manage landfills effectively. He also believes none of the landfills being used to collect hurricane debris pose a safety risk.

The GAO has asked the EPA to review the way it responds to disasters and outline its plans to improve disaster responses. According Stephenson, the threat of future hurricanes makes this an urgent matter.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 4:30 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.