Like water to a fish

Environmental sampling conducted by the Louisiana Environmental Action Network and others shows contamination in several New Orleans areas exceed federal standards for residential communities.
Wilma Subra, a New Iberia chemist overseeing the sampling project, said the results show that officials should not be allowing residents back home.

If residents feel compelled to return, they should wear respirators, protective suits and gloves and boots, she said.

"Babies shouldn't go in, pregnant women shouldn't go in, elderly shouldn't go in," said Subra, who has worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, serving as technical adviser for community groups living near Superfund sites and sitting on several EPA science advisory committees.

"If this was a waste site with chemicals exceeding the (residential) criteria, they would not allow unrestricted access," Subra said. "There is a desperate need for EPA to come up with clean criteria" for flooded neighborhoods before allowing residents to return.

You'll hear none of this from the Feds, of course. Allowing environmental concerns to intrude on the oil-marinated porkfest that is the "rebuilding" of NOLA would simply never occur to the folks for whom covering up danger in order to line their own pockets is ... well, like water to a fish.