Lousiana Attorney General Blocks Burial Of Ebola Victim’s Incinerated Items

Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell is seeking a temporary  restraining order that would block the incinerated ashes of items belonging to a Dallas Ebola victim from being buried in the state. Items belonging to the now deceased Thomas Eric Duncan were taken from his Dallas area apartment and burned. These items were incinerated at a Port Arthur Texas facility on Friday. The ashes of these items were scheduled to be transported to a Louisiana landfill that handles hazardous materials.

While it is unclear if the contaminated items still pose a health threat, Caldwell believes blocking the transportation and ultimate disposal of those ashes is best for the people of Louisiana.

"This situation is certainly unprecedented, and we want to approach it with the utmost caution.  We just can't afford to take any risks when it comes to this deadly virus."

Caldwell's comments were reported in an article published on NOLA.com.

Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that the items belonging to Duncan were disposed of properly. The Ebola infected items are no longer infectious and there should be no concern with their disposal in a landfill. The disease is spread through contact with an infected persons blood or bodily fluids. Therefore the incinerated items should be safe for disposal.

It was reported by a Lake Charles television station, KPLC, that the items were scheduled to be disposed of at the Chemical Waste Management site in Carlyss Louisiana which is just outside of Lake Charles.