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...

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

17. Genera typically associated with water damage conditions §Chaetomium §Epicoccum §Fusarium §Stachybotrys §Ulocladium

18. This survey looks at genera and concentration of mold spores/m 3 to assess mold amplification in standing buildings affected by Katrina

19. Rapid onset versus gradual proliferation

20. A closer look...

21. Most Common Genera Identified by Spore-trap Analysis

22. Aspergillus/Penicillium species most prevalent contaminant

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

24. Indoor amplification was evident

25. 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

26. No significant amplification was observed in Mississippi

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

28. 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) §MISSISSIPPI §Paecilomyces (3.7MM spores/m3) §Stachybotrys echinata (Memnoniella) (292M spores/m3) §Scopulariopsis (283M spores/m3)

29. 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

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

31. 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

32. Indoor amplification was evident in Louisiana...

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

34. 10-fold higher Paecilomyces amplification seen in Mississippi than in Louisiana

35. 10-fold higher Scopulariopsis amplification seen in Mississippi than in Louisiana

36. Epicoccum was detected in both states

37. Louisiana Aspergillus/Penicillium>Cladosporium> Pithomyces>Curvularia>Stachybotrys chartarum Mississippi Aspergillus/Penicillium>Paecilomyces> Scopulariopsis>Stachybotrys echinata (Memnoniella)>Cladosporium>Curvularia Genera with amplification>50M spores/m3

38. 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

39. Situation getting better, but far from over

40. Feb’ 06 first signs of reconstruction