Dr. Mike Blatt This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. WTOV9.com - News - Lurking In The Air

   www.wtov9.com/news/3785922/det - [Cached]

   Published on: 10/5/2004   Last Visited: 10/5/2004

   Dr. Mike Blatt, who's a pulmonologist at Wheeling Hospital, said once the initial shock and recovery from floods ends, another concern sets in.
   
   In the short term, the air has become polluted with small particles that can have long-term effects.
   
   "We've had about a ten percent increase in our hospital admissions and about a 15 percent increase in our lung problems as a result of particulate matter in the dust," said Blatt.
   
   Blatt said people cleaning their basements have to watch for mold and fungus, and they also have to avoid breathing in vapors let off by cleaning agents such as bleach or ammonia.
   
   "The people who get into trouble with this are usually predisposed to lung disease," said Blatt. "Either they have asthma or they have chronic obstructions."
   
   And he said even though the waters seemed like the real enemy, the grime they left behind is the true one.