BILOXI, Miss., - The Mississippi National Guard on Friday found no abnormal readings after it completed monitoring the air quality this week at 20 different locations along the coastline in Harrison, Hancock and Jackson counties as part of its regularly scheduled weekly testing.
The Jackson-based 47th Civil Support Team’s weekly assessment has been conducted every week since April 30 as part of its mission to support the Mississippi oil spill response in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
To date, no hazards have been discovered, said Lt. Col. Stephen McCraney, deputy director of Joint Task Force Vigilant Horizon, which is overseeing the Mississippi National Guard’s response.
With about $3.8 million of equipment, the 47th CST has been regularly conducting tests along the beaches and sending the results to local emergency operation centers and the state Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Marine Resources, which are the lead agencies spearheading the Mississippi response since the oil spill. These same tests are conducted by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, DEQ and a BP contractor.
“There are four different entities conducting these tests at various spots and times throughout the day and week,” McCraney said. “But we’re not going to take any chances with the health of our fellow Mississippi residents. We will continue to perform this function as long as necessary. It’s a home game for us.”
Earlier this month, the 47th CST made special rounds after media reports indicated that the air in some places along the Gulf Coast posed a health risk to vulnerable people in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. But it was later determined that the EPA air sampling showed a moderate health risk in Venice and Grand Isle, two Louisiana towns about 50 miles from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site.