A Southeastern Louisiana University professor who led research uncovering toxic heavy metals in Lake Maurepas was abruptly removed from the project this week, Louisiana Illuminator writes.
Fereshteh Emami, an analytical chemist and principal investigator on the university’s monitoring effort, says she was reassigned to a full-time teaching role this week and barred from continuing her research.
Emami’s work—published in two peer-reviewed journals—found elevated levels of arsenic, lead and other contaminants in the lake, with potential links to industrial and agricultural sources upstream. Her dismissal comes weeks after her findings gained public attention and prompted concern from nearby communities.
University officials described the change as a routine personnel shift. Emami, however, says the decision coincided with increased oversight of her media interactions and the cancellation of a planned university documentary about her work.
The move raises questions about how the university will complete ongoing toxin analysis in fish and crab tissue, particularly as it continues to monitor Lake Maurepas in connection with a major carbon sequestration project by Air Product. As the university’s only analytical chemist, Emami’s removal from the Lake Maurepas project could disrupt or delay a new phase of research that involves analyzing fish and crab tissue samples for toxins. Emami says her team was on track to finish that analysis and publish its work in the coming months.
