This article is by Theresa Dixon, a Creative Reporter.

New Orleans, with its flood-drenched buildings and high humidity, has cooked up a new threat for the victims of Hurricane Katrina: mold. Authorities are urging residents to wear masks and protective clothing when cleaning their homes, especially during dusty work like trying to remove drywall.

The risk varies, depending on a person's overall health, but an environmental group, alarmed by the high levels of mold, feels that enough is not being done and wants the government to set up spore testing sites.

"The outdoor mold spore concentrations could easily trigger serious allergic or asthmatic reactions in sensitive people," said Dr. Gina Solomon of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

"The indoor air quality was even worse, rendering the homes we tested dangerously uninhabitable by any definition."

The group tested 14 sites over three days and found spore counts up to 640,000 per cubic meter. The National Allergy Bureau views outdoor mold counts above 50,000 as "very high."

So far the government's focus has been on educating through public, rather than spending the extra money for testing.

"Because of the large number of flooded and mold-contaminated buildings in New Orleans and the repopulation of those once-flooded areas, a large number of people are likely to be exposed to mold and other microbial agents," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said in a report that urges health authorities to monitor health trends.

Adding a note of caution about interpreting mold levels, it adds: "There are no criteria for using either the concentration or type of mold in buildings to make informed decisions."

The CDC has already tested New Orleans, focusing on the type of mold, not the spore count, says CDC spokesperson Jill Smith.

"All people are not the same," she said. "Our current recommendations are precautionary, to try to avoid exposure."

Source: Reuters