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The effect of Katrina in the Gulf Coast: A study in Mold Proliferation

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.

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The effect of Katrina in the Gulf Coast: A study in Mold Proliferation

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  1. 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

  2. Record Breaking season: 27 named storms/14 hurricanes

  3. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita battered Gulf coast states

  4. 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)

  5. Mississipi was in shambles

  6. Louisiana was under water...

  7. When the water subsided….

  8. Ceilings collapsed...

  9. Water intrusion was evident...

  10. In walls...

  11. Behind base boards...

  12. On ceiling tiles...

  13. Leading to Mold Proliferation...

  14. Mold Survey September 2005 to March 2006 • 318 Buildings were examined • 1877 air trap samples were analyzed • 1639 from Louisiana • 238 from Mississippi

  15. Genera typically associated with water damage conditions • Chaetomium • Epicoccum • Fusarium • Stachybotrys • Ulocladium

  16. This survey looks at genera and concentration of mold spores/m3 to assess mold amplification in standing buildings affected by Katrina

  17. Rapid onset versus gradual proliferation

  18. A closer look...

  19. Most Common Genera Identified by Spore-trap Analysis

  20. Aspergillus/Penicillium species most prevalent contaminant

  21. Asp-Pen % of total spores was higher in LA 10-fold difference in Asp-Pen concentrations seen between LA and MS

  22. Indoor amplification was evident

  23. 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

  24. No significant amplification was observed in Mississippi

  25. Hard (Basidiomycetes) and soft (Ascomycetes) wood-rotter amplification was also evident in Louisiana

  26. 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) Different water damage indicators were detected in each State

  27. 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

  28. Peak amplification represented only 3% of the total number of spores

  29. 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

  30. Indoor amplification was evident in Louisiana...

  31. Ulocladium... Gradual amplification was detected in LA

  32. 10-fold higher Paecilomyces amplification seen in Mississippi than in Louisiana

  33. 10-fold higher Scopulariopsis amplification seen in Mississippi than in Louisiana

  34. Epicoccum was detected in both states

  35. Genera with amplification>50M spores/m3 LouisianaAspergillus/Penicillium>Cladosporium>Pithomyces>Curvularia>Stachybotrys chartarum MississippiAspergillus/Penicillium>Paecilomyces> Scopulariopsis>Stachybotrys echinata (Memnoniella)>Cladosporium>Curvularia

  36. 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

  37. Situation getting better, but far from over

  38. Feb’ 06 first signs of reconstruction

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