NEW ORLEANS — Following the partial collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel construction site, the Louisiana Environmental Protection Agency is monitoring the air quality in the area.
The agency said they will deploy a mobile air monitoring lab near the construction site Friday. New Orleans city officials said all the workers performing recovery operations in the evacuation zone are equipped with masks.
Tulane University Professor of Environmental Health Science Mark Wilson says there are few air quality risks for the general public because the hotel was newly constructed.
“There aren’t legacy contaminants like lead or asbestos that are found in most of the older buildings downtown,” said Wilson. “Typically those are the things we would be concerned about but not in this case.”
Wilson says an active dust cloud from further collapse could cause respiratory irritation for some people, especially those with pre-existing lung conditions.
“In this case in a new construction site the dust cloud is the only contaminant of concern,” said Wilson. “In the situation of the World Trade Center, there was dust from the building, combustion from the fire and jet fuel. None of those hazards are present here. “
City Officials ask anyone with a respiratory condition to stay away from the collapse zone.