I have to admit that when I first heard the reports that the water was toxic in New Orleans after Katrina hit, that I was suspicious. If this were the case then Mumbai, India would have been a ghost town by now.
Powerline dispels that myth today.
Captain Ed adds,
“Remember the “toxic soup” that flooded New Orleans, the one that the media widely reported was so polluted that mere momentary exposure could burn the skin and create potentially mortal illness for Katrina victims? As with the widespread gunfire, rapes, and murders, the toxic soup turns out to be another media myth. The Washington Post reports that an extensive look at the floodwaters reveals that its composition appears equivalent to floodwaters anywhere else.”
I will have to send this to my nephew in the Coast Guard. He was called to go serve in New Orleans after Katrina hit. He said that some water splashed on him and that it burned! I have not actually confirmed this with him personally, so I am not clear if this is family “Folklore or Fact“.
Update: Eight dolphins seen swimming in Lake Pontchartrain. Obviously, the dolphins like frolicking in toxic soup.