What are we really breathing? Investigating cyanobacteria-associated aerosols
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Harmful algal blooms, including those caused by cyanobacteria or blue-green algae, are a persistent problem worldwide. Harmful blue-green algae (HGBA), a frequent cause of freshwater algal blooms, can also be present in saltwater or estuaries. Exposure to HBGA, which can cause illness or death in humans and animals, is typically through oral and dermal routes. HBGA exposure can affect multiple body systems with signs ranging from vomiting and foaming at the mouth to lethargy and stumbling.
HBGA can be present without visible changes to affected water sources, making detection and exposure prevention difficult. Animals can be sentinels for HBGA occurrence, as they might have clinical signs consistent with toxin exposure before human illness is detected. Algal bloom surveillance programs in the U.S. include the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science’s program monitoring of coastal waters and the Great Lakes, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s One Health Harmful Algal Bloom System which gathers information on algal blooms and human and animal-associated illnesses from voluntary submissions by US state and territorial personnel. Additional data sources to monitor HBGA and associated health effects could be of public health value.
In this presentation, we will discuss the results of our analysis of twelve years of HBGA-exposure call data from the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Animal Poison Control Center (animal data) and from the National Poison Data System (human and animal data). We will describe the potential for use of these data as a public health information source for HBGA exposures. We will discuss the clinical features of HBGA exposure in animals and provide insight into the important role of veterinarians in better characterizing this emerging One Health issue.
This abstract does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.