Post Hurricane Katrina Air Screening Data

In coordination with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, EPA's
airplane ASPECT has flown 15 flights to obtain environmental screening data. As
of September 11, 2005, a minimal number of chemicals have been detected.

These compounds were not found to be at levels exceeding OSHA standards with
one exception. In this instance, the detection was reported to EPA responders
on the ground. The responders located the source, a 55-gallon drum containing 4
inches of Chloro acetic Acid. The drum was secured by EPA response personnel.

ASPECT is an emergency response tool mounted in an aircraft that provides
critical situational data to the responders on the ground. Standard products
generated during an ASPECT flight mission include aerial photographs, infrared
imagery, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectral analyses, and standard
format video. All qualitative and quantitative results generated from ASPECT
are not validated and are used strictly for screening purposes.

All data produced through the use of the ASPECT (Airborne Spectral imagery of
Environmental Contaminants Technology) are non-validated and are used by EPA
and other agencies for screening purposes only to assess immediate
environmental hazards. Information and data from ASPECT analyses are forwarded
to ground level personnel who evaluate the data and request follow-up air
monitoring, if warranted.