Consequences of Katrina:Consequences of Katrina:Present and Potential Toxic Effects of

Crude Oil Contaminants

St. Bernard Parish, LA

By

Arloe Fontenot

August 30, 2005August 30, 2005

Hurricane Katrina comes ashore along the Louisiana and Mississippi coast

Katrina’s storm surge causes an aboveground storage tank to float off it’s base and release 1.05 million gallons of mixed crude oil into a residential area

Over 1700 homes and numerous waterways affected

Murphy Oil SpillMurphy Oil Spill Aerial photo of Murphy Oil spill in Chalmette, Louisiana,

showing oil tanks & streets covered with oil slick.

Damaged Storage TankDamaged Storage Tank

CleanupCleanup Photo of a Murphy Oil

contractor hosing down the side of a canal

Oil residue on the green Waste Management garbage can be seen in the foreground. The trees along the banks of the canal have turned brown at the oil line.

Taken about a month after Hurricane Katrina

ContaminationContamination

Initial testing showed elevated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), and arsenic

Polycyclic Aromatic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

2 or more fused aromatic rings, no constituents

Large sticky molecules

Benzo [a] pyrene first chemical carcinogen classified

Low water solubility, accumulate in soils easily

Reproductive difficulty in mice

Harmful to immune system in humans

Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPHs)(TPHs)

Largest component of crude oil

Diesel and Oil range hydrocarbons

Benzene-linked to leukemia and immune suppression

Toxic Metals in Crude Oil Toxic Metals in Crude Oil

Arsenic, well known poison, inorganic form more toxic than organic form

Cadmium, competitive inhibition with zinc, extremely toxic in low concentrations, increased breast cancer risk

Hexavalent chromium (Cr+6) causes cell damage (genotoxic); Erin Brockovich