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About Thursday, after being in New Orleans for five days, i started noting the symptoms of chest cold. I've been fighting a worsening cold since then.

Today i read this. Things are probably better now, after the winter, than they were right after Katrina, but i'm sure it's not back to normal yet.

Typically, clean indoor environments show mold spore concentrations of less than 1,000 per cubic meter of air. But in Katrina's wake, the numbers have hit several million due to widespread, persistent flooding.

That's the preliminary report from Christine Rogers, a senior research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard's School of Public Health. In September, Rogers led a hands-on investigation of mold contamination so extensive that the health hazards are unknown.

... Symptoms of mold sensitivity range from flu-like symptoms to shortness of breath to skin irritations, Rogers says. People at elevated risk include anyone with allergies or breathing problems. Those who are immunosuppressed--on cancer chemotherapy, for example, or have HIV/AIDS--are at especially high risk for fungal infections in the lungs.

High mold levels can change a person's immune status. "Once you generate antibodies, subsequent exposures can elicit symptoms," Rogers explains. In asthma, attacks can become life-threatening; lung inflammation can also set in. "But even your average person is at risk for symptoms at this level of exposure," she notes. "Anyone who is genetically predisposed can develop mold allergies down the road."

... Outdoor air quality is also a concern. Given an estimated 22 million tons of mold-contaminated debris, there is "no such thing as fresh air," Rogers says.

from Mold, Mold, Everywhere: Scientists see no precedent for the potential hazards in New Orleans
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