PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT
AGRICULTURE STREET LANDFILL
NEW ORLEANS, ORLEANS PARISH, LOUISIANA
HEALTH INVESTIGATION ACTIVITIES
In 1986, the blood lead levels of children living in Gordon Plaza and Press Park were all below the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline of 25 ug/dL. In 1986, children living in Gordon Plaza and Press Park were screened for lead. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health and ATSDR conducted a door-to-door survey and a blood lead screen [17]. A presurvey was conducted which included a census of the children living in the area and a questionnaire on the number and age of children in the home, daytime activities of the children, and a history of lead testing. One hundred and eighty nine children in the Gordon Plaza and Press Park subdivisions were tested. The analysis conducted to assess lead exposure was erythrocyte protoporphyrin. Random samples were analyzed for lead. The average blood lead level was 12.5 ug/dL. The highest blood lead recorded was 21 ug/dL. The blood lead range was < 5 ug/dL to 21 ug/dL.
Since 1985, the CDC has decreased the level of blood lead that is considered to indicate blood lead poisoning in children. This decrease in acceptable blood lead levels in children has occurred because more sensitive measures about the effects of lead have indicated that lead is more toxic to children than was originally known. CDC now considers a children with a blood lead level below 10 ug/dL not to be lead poisoned (Table A-3 in appendix II). Since this revision of the blood lead standard, children that live on the ASL site have been screened.
Results from the 1993 blood lead screening program from the Helen Levy Health Center were reviewed as an indication of the current blood lead levels of children living in the area of the Agriculture Street Landfill Site [18]. The results indicated that 83% of the children with addresses on ASL had blood levels below 10 ug/dL: 11% within 10-14 ug/dL; and 6% were within 15-19 ug/dL (Table 16).
Table 16. 1993 Helen Levy Clinic Results of children with ASL addresses (Jan.-Sept.)
| Blood lead level (ug/dL) |
Number of children | Percent of children tested |
| <10
10-14 15-19 |
15
2 1 |
83
11 6 |
Twenty-four children that lived on the ASL were screened at the Helen Levy Center between January and December 1994. The results indicated that 83% of the children with addresses on ASL had blood levels below 10 ug/dL and 17 percent of the children were within the 10-14 ug/dL (Table 17).
Table 17. 1994 Helen Levy Clinic Results of children with ASL addresses (Jan.-Sept.)
| Blood lead level (ug/dL) |
Number of children | Percent of children tested |
| <10
10-14
|
20
4 |
83
17 |
In February, March, and April of 1994, additional blood lead screens were conducted for children residing on the ASL by the City of New Orleans [19]. The results indicated that 80% of the children with addresses on ASL had blood levels below 10 ug/dL and 20% of the children were within the 10-14 ug/dL (Table 18).
Table 18. 1994 Results of City of New Orleans Blood Lead Screen for the ASL site.
| Blood lead level (ug/dL) |
Number of children | Percent of children tested |
| <10
10-14 |
20
5 |
80
20 |
The results of the 1993 and 1994 blood screen (Helen Levy Center and City of New Orleans Special Study) of children on ASL indicate that the most of the children tested have not been lead poisoned. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines for interpretation of blood lead results, blood lead levels below 10 ug/dL indicate that lead poisoning has not occurred. For the children tested with blood lead levels 10 ug/dL and above, CDC recommends that the children should be retested.
As compared to the other children tested at the 7 public health clinics in New Orleans, the children tested that lived on ASL had a lower percentage of blood leads over 10 ug/dL than the rest of the city. Forty-four percent of the children tested at the 7 public health clinics had blood lead levels over 10 ug/dL as compared to only 18% of the children living on ASL with blood lead levels over 10 ug/dL. Fourteen percent of the children tested at the city clinics had blood lead levels greater than 20 ug/dL. There were no children with blood lead levels over 20 ug/dL that lived on the ASL site.
Table 19. Comparison of Blood Lead Levels Between Children Living on ASL versus Children Tested at the New Orleans Health Clinics
| Blood lead levels (ug/dL) |
Percent of test results from children who live on Agriculture Street
Landfill Site
|
Percent of test results from children tested at the city clinics
|
|||||||||
| <10 |
|
56 | |||||||||
| 10-20 | 30 | ||||||||||
| >20 | 14 |
Cancer Incidence and Other Health Outcome Data
LOPH/SEET released a health consultation at the request of residents living on the Agriculture Street Landfill Superfund site. The health outcome data reviewed included cancer incidence rates and birth statistics. The review cannot determine cause-and-effect relationships. This consultation served as a screening to identify unusual patterns of adverse health effects and provides residents with a way to compare the health effects in their area with a similar, but larger population. Results of the review and recommendations are available under a separate cover, Health Consultation: Review of Health Outcome Data for the Agriculture Street Landfill Site, New Orleans, Louisiana, Cerclis No. LAD981056997, October 22, 1997.
The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Xavier University, New Orleans, Louisiana conducted a health survey of 328 adults and children (approximately one third of the residents of ASL) who reside in Gordon Plaza and Press Park [20]. Even though the findings of this survey indicate that there are illnesses in the community, we cannot determine if the illnesses at the ASL site are occurring at a rate higher than is expected for a community not residing on a Superfund Site. A comparison group (illness rates from a community not living on a Superfund Site) is needed to show what the expected rates are for certain health problems in the general population so that it can be determined if the illnesses at the ASL Site are occurring at rates which are "greater than expected".
One hundred and eighty six adults (72 males and 114 females) and 144 children (66 males and 79 females) were surveyed. Most respondents were African American. One hundred and thirty two out of the 144 children were born in the community. The results of the study indicated that 55% of the pregnant women reported a problem related to child birth. Obstetric conditions reported included premature delivery, birth defects, long hospital stays for newborns, respiratory problems, and low birth weight.
The results of symptoms reported by adults and children were tabulated separately. The highest percentage of reported symptoms in adults were related to respiratory and neurological problems. Forty percent of adult respondents reported chest pains and dizziness. Table 20 presents the findings of the adult reported health complaints.
Table 20. Reported Health Complaints in Adults
| Type of Health Complaint | Percentage Population Reporting Symptom |
| RESPIRATORY chest pain congestion problems asthma bronchitis |
40 24 18 16 |
| EARS AND EYES blurriness of eyes itching eyes conjunctivitis ringing ears |
31 30 25 24 |
| MUSCLE AND JOINTS joint aches and pain numbness tingling hands and feet joint stiffness |
36 34 32 30 |
| SKIN AND HAIR itching skin skin rashes peeling skin |
30 28 22 |
| NOSE, THROAT, ALLERGIES sinus problems sore throat hoarseness phlegm allergies |
34 32 30 30 26 |
| NEUROLOGICAL dizziness depression fatigue sleep problems memory loss insomnia |
40 26 25 24 20 19 |
| OTHER blood testing diarrhea sudden weight change lack of appetite bladder infection |
24 24 24 23 22 |
The highest percentage of reported symptoms in children were ear infections, asthma, and conjunctivitis. Table 21 presents the findings of the child reported health complaints.
Table 21. Reported Health Complaints in Children
| Type of Health Complaint | Percentage Population Reporting Symptom |
| RESPIRATORY phlegm sore throat allergies coughing nose bleeds congestion problems asthma bronchitis |
25 23 15 14 14 21 32 20 |
| EARS AND EYES ear infections eye pains burning eyes itching eyes conjunctivitis |
40 12 14 17 36 |
| MUSCLE AND JOINTS
joint aches and pain |
18 |
| SKIN AND HAIR
itching skin and skin rashes |
30 |
| NOSE, THROAT, ALLERGIES sore throat phlegm allergies |
23 25 15 |
| NEUROLOGICAL dizziness hyperactivity nightmares speech problems learning problems slurring speech |
8 23 12 11 11 10 |
| OTHER blood testing diarrhea sudden weight change lack of appetite vomiting/nausea anemia |
25 24 13 13 9 13 |
Ten incidences of cancer were reported by the respondents. Fifteen incidences of abnormal growth (tumors) were reported.
The study concluded that this is "a community that suffers from an inordinate number of health complaints. There are obvious signs of severe mental stress related to the community crisis. Many residents appear to have reached a breaking point."
The following questions were raised by representatives from the Agriculture Street Landfill site community. Responses were collected by the Louisiana Office of Public Health/Section of Environmental Epidemiology and Toxicology (LOPH/SEET) from the agencies involved with these issues, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and the City of New Orleans Mayor's Office of Environmental Affairs (OEA).
Per the Mayor's Office of Environmental Affairs, and the U.S. EPA: EPA removed the arch climber at the Press Park Community Center to address the issue of the elevated levels of lead in the soil underneath. The play equipment was removed to access the soil; then clean soil and sod were placed over the area, making the area soils safe for play. The arch climber was to be moved to another location of the Press Park Community Center, but broken bars on the climber made it unsafe for children to play, so the climber was not re-assembled. No further actions are planned for the Press Park Community Center until the remedy is implemented.
Sediments from flood waters could come from industrial properties and/or the Agriculture Street Landfill site, however, the dense plant cover on the undeveloped part of the site limits the amount of soil and contaminants that could be washed away. (The drainage area is the Higgins Boulevard Canal, which covers an area over 400 acres, including about 80 acres of the Agriculture Street Landfill site.)
According to the U.S. EPA, "Evidence of washed off contaminants was not found in soils tested off-site, (nor in canal nor in sediments)". It was concluded that contaminants from the Agriculture Street Landfill site would be a very small part of the overall sediments and contaminants that may be washed in the flood waters, and therefore would not pose a threat.
According to the U.S. EPA, Technical Feasibility Studies have been drafted, and policies and remedial options are being reviewed. It is expected that EPA will release these studies, with the proposed options and solutions, in the near future.
When EPA was identifying the boundaries of the Agriculture Street Landfill site, various information was reviewed, (including historical records, aerial photographs, and geophysical surveys of the property) to determine if there were barrels buried on the site. However, no buried drums were found. Drums do exist within the undeveloped area of the site, but these drums do not pose a health risk to the community. They contain trash generated from activities done on the site including dirty clothing worn by workers during sampling activities; soil and water from drilling groundwater wells; water from cleaning sampling equipment, and other waste from site sampling activities.
The U.S. EPA put up a fence and posted warning signs around the undeveloped portion of the site to limit access and exposure to contaminants. LOPH/SEET checked on the condition of the fence on January 7, 1996. Tears and gaps in the fence were found and this information was passed on to EPA and the city. EPA continues to maintain the fence during remediation.
According to the U.S. EPA, "Maintenance of the undeveloped area is an issue that EPA will include in the general proposed plan for the site for public review and comment. The final remedy selected for the site will include this aspect."
Per Sharon Harrington, Mayor's Office of Environmental Affairs (OEA): "The OEA notified the Sanitation Department about the tire pile at the intersection of St. Ferdinand Street and Higgins. The Sanitation Department cleaned up the tire pile November 15, 1995." However, this is an ongoing concern by the city of New Orleans.
EPA has responded to this issue by scheduling meetings exclusively for residents of the Seniors home. The information provided at public meetings for the community is also presented to residents of the Seniors Home, typically the following morning. LOPH/SEETis planning to provide this same service. A separate meeting for the Seniors will be conducted on the morning after the public meeting. The same information will be provided.
Per Sharon Harrington, Mayor's Office of Environmental Affairs: "OEA requested that Theola Garrett of the Sewerage and Water Board attend the meeting to address concerns about S & WB service. Ms. Garrett reiterated that residents of Gordon Plaza and Press Park should receive prompt service and asked that citizens notify her if they do not receive such: 585-2169."
Health Activities Recommendation Panel (HARP) Recommendations
In accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 as amended, LOPH/SEET and ATSDR have evaluated the Agriculture Street Landfill Site for appropriate health follow-up activities.
HARP recommended that the results of the 1994 blood lead screening performed by the City of New Orleans be obtained and reviewed to determine the current status of lead exposure of children living on the site and to assess if further public health actions were warranted to reduce lead exposure in children living on the site. HARP further recommended that public health education be provided to assist residents in understanding their exposure to site related contaminants.
Public Health Action Plan
The Public Health Action Plan (PHAP) for the ASL site contains a description of actions undertaken or planned by ATSDR and LOPH/SEET. The purpose of the plan is to ensure that this public health assessment not only identifies public health hazards, but provides a plan of action designed to mitigate and prevent adverse human health effects resulting from exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.
Action Undertaken
ACTIONS PLANNED
Barbara Cooper, M.S.P.H
Louisiana Office of Public Health
Tina Forrester, Ph.D.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Konrad Eppel, M.S.P.H.
Louisiana Office of Public Health
Erica M. Caesar, M.S.P.H.
Louisiana Office of Public Health
ATSDR Regional Representative
George Pettigrew
ATSDR Region 6
Technical Project Officer
William Greim
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation
The Agriculture Street Landfill Public Health Assessment was prepared by the Louisiana Office of Public Health under a cooperative agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). It is in accordance with approved methodology and procedures existing at the time the health assessment was begun.
William Greim.
Technical Project Officer
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation (DHAC)
ATSDR
The Division of Health Assessment and Consultation, ATSDR, has reviewed this
health assessment, and concurs with its findings.
Richard E. Gillig
Chief, SPS, SSAB, DHAC, ATSDR
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