Post-Katrina contaminant levels in sediments and oyster tissues of coastal Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama: A NOAA National Status and Trends program (NS&T) assessment and 20-year retrospective analysis of organochlorines, PAHs and trace elements

DSTR 30

Gunnar G. Lauenstein, glauenstein@rdc.noaa.gov1, Roger R. Fay2, John D. Christensen1, Robert A. Warner1, and Andrew K. Leight3. (1) National Center for Coastal Ocean Sciences, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA (SSMC4) 10th Floor Cubical, 1305 EW Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20901, (2) TDI Brooks International, Inc, 1902 Pinon Road, College Station, TX 77845, (3) Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research (CCEHBR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NOAA Cooperative Oxford Laboratory, 904 South Morris Street, Oxford, MD 31654-1323
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and coastal states of the northern Gulf of Mexico have engaged in a comprehensive interagency effort to assess human-health and environmental impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in affected coastal waters. This collaborative effort was designed to characterize the magnitude and extent of coastal contamination and associated human-health effects resulting from this unprecedented sequence of storms. NOAA's National Status and Trends (NS&T) Mussel Watch field surveys were conducted to characterize chemical contamination as a part of this coordinated activity. Results of this effort are provided for organochlorine, PAH, and metal concentrations in sediments and oyster tissues collected throughout coastal Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. In addition, a 20-year retrospective assessment of these chemicals is provided for each site sampled.
 

Recovery from and Prevention of Natural Disasters
8:30 AM-10:30 AM, Wednesday, 13 September 2006 Moscone Center -- Room 300, Oral

Recovery From & Prevention of Natural Disasters

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006