Aug 5, 2010
Coastal Heritage Society of La has tested the rainwater in Plaquemines Parish after requests by citizens to the EPA have gone ignored. No one has bothered to test what is falling upon our crops and livestock (into the food we eat and will be eating for time to come) upon the playgrounds where our children play and blaneketing the area nearly daily as it does in the summer.
The results of the latest testing gave us reason to continue our work testing the rainwater and we have more samples going out now.
Chloride was found at over double the EPA safe standards at 650ppm - the EPA testing standards are 250. The lab was very surprised to find several metals in the rain water - something that they stated is unusual. While the metal levels in the quart of water are below the EPA safe levels it must be mentioned that the accumlative effect is important. In other words, this less than a quart of rainwater would be fine if that is all we are exposed to. It isnt. The rain falls upon the crops of our food - the livestock that we eat, into our drinking supply (of origin) and collect in our ground water. Saying that each person could be exposed to level in that quart over 1000 in the course of a summer is not over stating it at all. It accumulates in our bodies and everywhere else and this is where it becomes a concern. We do not wish to be alarmist but simply want to do our part in protecting not only the heritage and culture of coastal Louisiana but the people. This is why we continue testing.
Below is a list of the metals found in the rain in addition to the chloride (which was well over the EPA limits) Again, while we list them and note the toxic effects on humans bear in mind that the metals WERE under the EPA levels for the sample - but also bear in mind the accumulative effect.
Check back here for our next round of testing to be released soon.
CHLORIDE
Chloride Toxicity Symptoms (found at 650 ppm - EPA safe levels are 250ppm)
Weakness, confusion and coma may result with too much chloride exposure.
Chloride is a binary compound of chlorine; a salt of hydrochloric acid.
elevated levels are associated with acidosis and too much water crossing the cell membrane.
Increased levels of blood chloride (called hyperchloremia) usually indicate dehydration, but can also occur with other problems that cause high blood sodium, such as Cushing's syndrome or kidney disease. Hyperchloremia also occurs when too much base is lost from the body (producing metabolic acidosis) or when a person hyperventilates (causing respiratory alkalosis).
While the testing results found unusual levels of the following metals in the rainwater samples the levels listed are below EPA safety limits. However it should be mentioned that the exposure is accumulative. In other words, absorbing the levels found once is fine within the EPA guidelines but repeated exposure via skin and inhalation from steam following a rain will build up levels rather quickly. The lab remarked that many of these metals are not usually found in rain water and they were very surprised to find them. They are often what is left behind once some chemical compounds evaporate.
ALUMINUM
Studies have show that high level exposure to aluminum affects the lungs, and causes neurological damage in absorption by the skin.
Studies on mice have found that the absorption of aluminum through the skin causes a greater burden on the body than oral ingestion. Humans also absorb aluminum through the skin: a 2001 study showed that aluminum was still present in blood samples 15 days after one application of aluminum. Consequently, applying aluminum to the skin is a very effective way to get aluminum in your system, and in your brain.
Aluminum was first recognized as a human neurotoxin in 1886 A neurotoxin is a substance that causes damage to nerves or nerve tissue.
The short term symptoms of aluminum toxicity include memory loss, learning difficulty, loss of coordination, disorientation, mental confusion, colic, heartburn,, and headaches. Alzheimer’s is one of the possible long term effects of chronic aluminum exposure.
Chromium
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the International Agency for Reseach on Cancer (IARC), and the EPA have determined that chromium(VI) compounds are known human carcinogens. In workers, inhalation of chromium(VI) has been shown to cause lung cancer. Chromium also causes lung cancer in animals. An increase in stomach tumors was observed in humans and animals exposed to chromium(VI) in drinking water.
Breathing high levels of chromium(VI) can cause irritation to the lining of the nose, nose ulcers, runny nose, and breathing problems, such as asthma, cough, shortness of breath, or wheezing. The concentrations of chromium in air that can cause these effects may be different for different types of chromium compounds,
Sperm damage and damage to the male reproductive system have also been seen in laboratory animals exposed to chromium.
Skin contact with certain chromium(VI) compounds can cause skin ulcers. Some people are extremely sensitive to chromium(VI) or chromium(III). Allergic reactions consisting of severe redness and swelling of the skin have been noted.
The EPA has determined that exposure to chromium in drinking water at concentrations of 1 mg/L for up to 10 days is not expected to cause any adverse effects in a child.
The FDA has determined that the chromium concentration in bottled drinking water should not exceed 1 mg/L.
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has limited workers' exposure to an average of 0.005 mg/m3 chromium(VI), 0.5 mg/m3 chromium(III), and 1.0 mg/m3 chromium(0) for an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek.
Manganese
It combines with other substances such as oxygen, sulfur, or chlorine . Manganese can also be combined with carbon to make organic manganese compounds. Common organic manganese compounds include pesticides, such as maneb or mancozeb, and methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT), a fuel additive in some gasolines.
Manganese is an essential trace element and is necessary for good health. Manganese can be found in several food items, including grains and cereals, and is found in high amounts in other foods, such as tea.
Manganese effects occur mainly in the respiratory tract and in the brains. Symptoms of manganese poisoning are hallucinations, forgetfulness and nerve damage. Manganese can also cause Parkinson, lung embolism and bronchitis. When men are exposed to manganese for a longer period of time they may become impotent.
A syndrome that is caused by manganese has symptoms such as schizophrenia, dullness, weak muscles, headaches and insomnia.
Chronic Manganese poisoning may result from prolonged inhalation of dust and fume. The central nervous system is the chief site of damage from the disease, which may result in permanent disability. Symptoms include languor, sleepiness, weakness, emotional disturbances, spastic gait, recurring leg cramps, and paralysis. A high incidence of pneumonia and other upper respiratory infections has been found in workers exposed to dust or fume of Manganese compounds. Manganese compounds are experimental equivocal tumorigenic agents.
zinc
Although humans can handle proportionally large concentrations of zinc, too much zinc can still cause eminent health problems, such as stomach cramps, skin irritations, vomiting, nausea and anemia. Very high levels of zinc can damage the pancreas and disturb the protein metabolism, and cause arteriosclerosis.
