New Orleans returnees face health risks
Contaminated water, mold among problems
Friday, September 30, 2005;
Posted: 8:00 p.m. EDT (00:00 GMT)

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Doctors prepared for a possible surge in the number of patients in New Orleans on Friday as many residents returned to begin the long process of rebuilding their lives after Hurricane Katrina.

Contaminated water, mold and the dusty sediment left behind when the city was pumped dry are some of the key health threats facing residents, according to Dr. Frederick Cerise, the head of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

"We've been testing around the city and it's not consistently clean and that's because there are still leaks in the system," Cerise said.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/09/30/hurricanes.health/index.html?section=cnn_latest