Environmental Group Attacks Toxic Katrina Mold

New Orleans, LA - Among the aftermath of devastation wrought by storm surges and floodwaters after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is the persistent and dangerously toxic mold now proliferating throughout the Gulf Coast. Barbara Wiseman, President of The Earth Oganization (TEO), a non-profit international environmental group, arrived in New Orleans last week to coordinate distribution to flood victims of 10,000 gallons of a liquid solution using the latest microorganism technology for mold remediation. “Our first task is to educate the pubic on this vital, effective technology. It’s so different than what they are currently using that, until they see the results, people are often pretty skeptical. It can sound too good to be true. ”

Property owners and construction workers currently wage war against noxious mold by donning full-body decontamination suits and heavy respirators, scraping the walls with wire brushes, and then spraying it with chlorine bleach or other caustic chemicals. Often, within two to three weeks, even more toxic mold begins to form. The process is dangerous, exhausting, and often has to be repeated. “It broke my heart when I saw several young relief workers with obvious chlorine poisoning, burned skin, red eyes, and looking utterly exhausted,” she said.

Microorganisms are living bacteria that digest and break down harmful substances into their nontoxic components. They can eliminate disease-causing pathogens and odor and were successfully used to decontaminate toxic waters and sewage from the 2004 tsunami in southern Asia. As a result, the 100,000 deaths from the spread of pathogen diseases that the World Health Organization predicted following the Tsunami never occurred.

According to Wiseman, using the microorganism technology to handle mold has several benefits. “It’s hugely labor-saving, and while you still have to wear a high-quality respirator to protect you from the mold, you don’t need to wear a decontamination suit because it’s so safe you can inhale it or consume it. Additionally, once you’ve properly misted a building with this, it creates a microbial environment that doesn’t attract further mold.”

TEO is raising donations to be able to make as much of the mold-consuming liquid available to the stricken areas as possible. “We are opening up every channel we can find to get the funding and personnel to get this done now,” said Lawrence Anthony, world renowned conservationist and Founder of TEO. “We can not allow red-tape and bureaucracy to stop this initiative.” Last week TEO’s team sprayed a hospital, churches, handicapped housing, and several homes in the New Orleans area, and, while distributing the liquid to anyone interested, gave training workshops to relief workers and church parishioners on how to apply it. “We were truly gratified to see the results in homes, churches and businesses across the city,” said Wiseman, “and we are dedicated to getting this out to as many people as possible.”

After the hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast, TEO contacted three of the companies in the US that make this organically certified product to enlist their help and coordinate efforts to educate the public and make it available: Go Beyond Organic, EM America, and SCD (Sustainable Community Development). “Each company has contributed invaluable time and expertise to us in this project,” said Wiseman”. “SCD even donated enough of their product to our relief effort to handle 4,000 homes.”

In a briefing to FEMA officials, Wiseman made it clear that The Earth Organization is dedicated to doing everything possible to prevent further health and environmental disasters from the unnecessary use of chlorine bleach and other toxic chemicals.

For additional information about The Earth Organization, go to www.earthorganization.org. All internet-based donations over the next few months will go towards TEO’s relief efforts in the Gulf Coast area.