[StBernard] St. Bernard mud tests unclear on long-term hazards of soil

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard mud tests unclear on long-term hazards of soil 
by Richard Slawsky 
10/31/2005  
New Orleans City Business
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=13813


A garage door in Chalmette reads, "Thanks FEMA, Murphy Oil, Bush, Brown,"
referring to former FEMA director Michael Brown. "St. Bernard will come
back. You work fast!" Officials are trying to determine the long-term
hazards of the oily sediment left behind by Hurricane Katrina and the Murphy
Oil Refinery spill. 

For the past several weeks, residents of St. Bernard Parish have been
trudging through the sludge Katrina left in their homes, hoping to salvage a
few mementos of their devastated lives. 

But what that sludge contains is a mystery. Although parish officials say
the sediment left behind by Katrina is safe with the proper precautions, the
long-term hazards aren't clear. 

Compounding the problem is the estimated 819,000 gallons of crude oil
spilled from a storage tank at the Murphy Oil Refinery in Meraux. Returning
residents have been warned to wear rubber gloves, boots and breathing
filters when visiting their damaged homes and to avoid prolonged contact
with the sediment. 

"We are told that direct prolonged contact with the crude sludge can cause
skin irritation and more severe health problems, some of which may not be
readily identifiable," said Parish Councilman Craig Taffaro in response to
questions from parish residents. 

Much of St. Bernard was inundated with more than 10 feet of water following
Hurricane Katrina. When the waters receded, they left behind a foot or more
of oily, smelly mud. 

Contained in the muck is a stew of petroleum compounds such as benzene and
acetone; metals such as arsenic, mercury and lead; and sodium from salt
water. The sludge also contains fecal coliform levels about 87 times the
acceptable level for prolonged skin contact. 

Over the past week, representatives from the Murphy Oil Refinery have been
contacting residents in neighborhoods west of the refinery, which received
the majority of the spilled oil, and have offered settlements in exchange
for a waiver of liability. So far, a typical offer has totaled $11.40 per
square foot of structure, with a $20,000 minimum, as well as $2,500 for each
resident of the household. 

Murphy promised to contact everyone in the affected area who had previously
called its oil spill hotline by Oct. 30. The company has already established
adjustment centers in Metairie, Baton Rouge, Mandeville and Houston as well
as in St. Bernard. 

Settlement offers haven't included the purchase of a resident's property.
According to a statement from Murphy officials, the company will clean oil
from a resident's property whether or not a settlement is reached. 

At least seven class-action suits have been filed against Murphy since the
floodwaters receded. Some parish officials worry a long drawn-out suit could
hamper recovery efforts. 

"I think it's a matter of what people want the outcome to be," Taffaro said
"If people are looking for the Murphy Oil spill as something that is gong to
bring them whole financially, it's going to be a long process." 

Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency released results of sediment
sampling from around St. Bernard, including the areas affected by the Murphy
spill. 

According to the test results, samples taken near the intersection of Jacob
and Judge Perez drives, one of the main areas affected by the Murphy spill,
contained "semi-volatile organic compounds, such as diesel and fuel oils,
which may persist in the environment." Such compounds could cause skin
irritation problems including itchy or peeling skin, according to the EPA
report. Breathing the compounds for short periods could cause nausea,
headaches and difficulty concentrating, the report said. Breathing the
vapors for long periods could cause kidney damage and lower the blood's
ability to clot, it said. 

Other chemicals, including lead, arsenic and mercury, were detected in
levels too low to cause adverse effects in limited exposures, the EPA report
said. 

Results were similar at a testing site at 2812 Palmisano Drive about 14
blocks from the Jacob Drive test site. Lead and arsenic were detected at
elevated levels, but not high enough to cause adverse health effects with
proper protection, the report said. 

"We feel confident that based on the testing thus far and the planned
cleanup program, there should not be any long-term exposures to oil above
(acceptable) standards," said Glenn Millner, one of several toxicologists
hired by Murphy to assess the impact of the spill. "Therefore the spill
should not be expected to present any long- term health and safety issues." 

A similar chemical gumbo was detected at Sidney Torres Park near the Parish
Government Complex, although levels of petroleum compounds weren't as high
as those closer to Murphy, according to the EPA study. 

Last Wednesday, representatives from the environmental group the Louisiana
Bucket Brigade released results of their own sampling, which was conducted
by a private laboratory. The group paid $20,000 to have samples from 14
sites around the parish analyzed. 

Arsenic, cadmium and various benzene compounds were among the chemicals
detected at levels that exceed EPA and the Louisiana Department of
Environmental Quality standards, according to Anne Rolfes, executive
director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. 

"We could afford to test 14 samples but a lot more needs to happen, so we
are organizing people to go to DEQ to ask for a real assessment," Rolfes
said. "The important part is getting people focused on what they need to do
to try to get a real assessment of the situation..