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 CortesMicrobiology Laboratory Director

and General Managerbcortes@emsl.com (407) 599-5887

EMSL Analytical Inc.-Orlando, Florida 32804WWW.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 deathsAmong 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 examined1877 air trap samples were

analyzed 1639 from Louisiana 238 from Mississippi

Genera typically associated with water damage conditions

ChaetomiumEpicoccumFusariumStachybotrys Ulocladium

This survey looks at genera and concentration of mold spores/m3

to assess mold amplification in standing buildings affected by

Katrina

Rapid onset versus gradual proliferation

Post-Katrina Spore Survey September 2005-March 2006

0

2000000

4000000

6000000

8000000

10000000

12000000

Sept/05 Oct/05 Nov/05 Dec/05 Jan/06 Feb/06 Mar/06

Spor

es/m

3

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)

MISSISSIPPIPaecilomyces

(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...

Gradual amplification was detected in LA

(Spores/m3) Sept Oct Nov DecLouisiana 525 6025 5884 171291Mississippi 39955 21 882 372

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

LouisianaAspergillus/

Penicillium>Cladosporium>Pithomyces>Curvularia>Stachybotrys chartarum

MississippiAspergillus/Penicillium>Paecilomyces>

Scopulariopsis>Stachybotrys echinata (Memnoniella)>Cladosporium>Curvularia

Genera with amplification>50M spores/m3

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