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Louisiana Attorney General Doesn't Want the Ashes From Ebola Victim's Personal Effects in His State
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Louisiana Attorney General Doesn't Want the Ashes From Ebola Victim's Personal Effects in His State

“the health and safety of our Louisiana citizens is our top priority.”

Louisiana's state attorney general does not want the ashes of the Ebola victim's belongings to come into his state.

Buddy Caldwell said he would seek a temporary restraining order to block Thomas Eric Duncan incinerated possessions from being disposed of in a Louisiana landfill that specializes in hazardous waste.

Thomas Eric Duncan, the first patient diagnosed in the U.S with Ebola, died in a Dallas hospital last week. (AP Photo/Wilmot Chayee)

“We certainly share sadness and compassion for those who have lost their lives and loved ones to this terrible virus, but the health and safety of our Louisiana citizens is our top priority," Caldwell said in a statement Sunday.

"There are too many unknowns at this point, and it is absurd to transport potentially hazardous Ebola waste across state lines," he said. "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."

Duncan, the first patient diagnosed with Ebola in the United States after traveling from Africa, died last week. His death sparked questions about what would be done with his remains. The body must be cremated or placed in a hermetically sealed casket to keep the virus from spreading.

Other questions emerged about what to do with the items inside the apartment where Duncan had been staying before he was hospitalized. The CDC has detailed procedures for disposing of Ebola medical waste. Transporting anything that might contain traces of Ebola requires stringent packaging and procedures.

In Duncan's case, a convoy of six trucks carrying his personal effects — clothing and bedding, as well as carpets and furniture — traveled 300 miles from Dallas to Port Arthur, Texas, and were incinerated before being planned to go to Louisiana for final disposal.

An official within the Louisiana State University Health Care Services Division said there is no cause for concern as long as CDC protocols are followed.

A representative from the landfill did not immediately return a request for comment from TheBlaze about Caldwell's restraining order.

Follow Mike Opelka (@Stuntbrain) on Twitter

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