KIRKPATRICK, BARBARA1*, LORA E FLEMING2, WENDY B STEPHAN2, LORRAINE BACKER3, RICHARD CLARK4, DOMINICK SQUICCIARINI2, RICHARD WEISMAN2, and GAYL VAN DE BOGART2. 1Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236 USA; 2NIEHS Center, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149 USA; 3Center for Disease Control, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30333 USA; 4Florida Department of Health, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Tallahassee, FL 32399 USA. - Public outreach materials regarding harmful algal blooms and their possible effects on human health.
The potential interactions between marine and freshwater harmful algal
blooms (HABs) and humans are increasing. Humans are exposed through
food, drinking water, and recreational and occupational water use to
an increasing number of organisms and their toxins. Nevertheless, the
amount of clinical and epidemiologic research concerning acute and
chronic human health effects from the HAB organisms and their toxins
is relatively sparse. At the same time, the public is increasingly
aware of and interested in the potential dangers associated with
exposure to HABs. Public health authorities and researchers must
respond to these public health concerns. The development of
appropriate educational and outreach materials based on limited
scientific databases is the challenge of informing the public
concerning the possible human health effects of HAB organisms and
their toxins, and their prevention. Educational materials developed by
a group of researchers and public health personnel for general HABs,
Florida Red Tide Toxins (brevetoxins), Cyanobacteria, and Ciguatera
are discussed, as well as methods for their dissemination.
Key words: ciguatera, cyanobacteria, education, harmful algal blooms, public health, red tide