Algae-exposed? Researchers taking samples from people who've been around toxic blooms

Amy Bennett Williams
The News-Press
Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute researchers (from left) Chris Campbell, volunteer RN, Adam Schaefer, epidemiologist, and Dr. Kathi Harvey, of Harbor Branch and the FAU College of Nursing, collect blood, urine and nasal swab samples Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, at the Florida Sportsman magazine office in Stuart. The group is testing people who live and work around blue-green algae blooms in the St. Lucie River and have found detectable levels of the toxin microcystin in the noses of over 70 people tested. "Preliminary results suggest that microcystin is definitely airborne," Schaefer said. Schaefer, the lead researcher on the project, hopes to test people who have not been exposed to algae for a control group and to expand the testing to Lake Okeechobee and Florida's West Coast, but more funding is necessary to collect the data needed for a long-term study on microcystin exposure.

Scientists investigating whether algae toxins are showing up in people exposed to the region's recent blooms will test volunteers Monday at Fort Myers' Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre.

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute will take nasal swabs, blood and urine to look for traces of the blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) that began sliming Southwest Florida waterways in June.

Science has demonstrated possible links between algae toxins and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, along with other problems including liver failure.

Algae researcher James Metcalf samples the Caloosahatchee for toxic cyanobacteria.

Monday night, the nonprofit Calusa Waterkeeper hosts a summit on the crisis' economic consequences at the theater.

Uncertainty has been one of the most vexing things about 2018's toxic blooms, and questions about health have been top-of-mind for many. Answers have been slow in coming.

The Florida Department of Health has not dispatched researchers to examine the outbreak's health impacts; instead, Harbor Branch has taken the initiative.

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More:Toxic algae killed east coast dog after contact with St. Lucie River, necropsy reveals

It launched its own study with a GoFundMe-style crowd-sourcing donation appeal. This kind of funding model is novel, but allows science to respond more nimbly to developing challenges than the traditional time- and labor-intensive, grant-seeking process does, says Harbor Branch epidemiologist Adam Schaefer. Just as the blooms happened quickly, this approach allows investigation to deploy quickly as well.

Algae researcher James Metcalf samples a North Fort Myers canal for toxic cyanobacteria.

"This is part of a larger research initiative," Schaefer said. "We’re looking for people who may have been exposed by living next to the water, fishing, working on a boat, to start to build a picture of exposure ... We’re really interested in sampling the subpopulations of people who have no choice — the live-aboards, people who work in a marina."

Cyanobacteria produces toxins that have a number of health effects in humans and animals ranging from mild cold-like symptoms to neurodegenerative diseases to lethal liver failure. But they're often unreported or misdiagnosed by public health authorities, the Harbor Branch researchers say. "Despite the significant blooms that have occurred in South Florida, no data exist regarding exposure to these blooms and the resulting concentrations among wildlife or humans. This gap in knowledge is a critical component to understanding the impact of the current algal bloom," the study's prospectus says. "The ability to correlate harmful algae bloom concentrations to levels found in coastal residents will provide essential data that can be used when determining public health risks."

James Metcalf holds samples of Caloosahatchee water he's testing for toxic algae.

Last month, Schaefer's team sampled about 100 people on the state's east coast, and all of them showed "detectable levels" of the toxin microcystin in their noses, he told TCPalm.

The presence of the toxin in people's noses doesn't mean it's getting in other places in their bodies and making them sick, Schaefer said. "That's why we do the blood and urine samples ... We know microcystin can get in the air, but we don't know how far it can go and how potent it can be. It's one of the fundamental gaps in our knowledge about these toxins."

The study's accompanying questionnaire will ask about exposure to the algae blooms, which began proliferating after June 1, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began sending polluted Lake Okeechobee water down the Caloosahatchee River. Gov. Rick Scott and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson have each blamed the other for the state's persistent toxic blooms.

Save Our Water question:Is it safe to breathe near toxic algae blooms?

More:When will Southwest Florida waters return to normal? Scientists hope soon.

The bad news for those seeking personal answers is that the results aren't individualized — only intended to get a sense of how many have been exposed.

Schaefer understands that not having definitive answers can be frustrating, but eventual certainty requires this kind of fundamental information-gathering. “We tell them by participating, they’re really helping not just research, but protecting the health of all Floridians."

The good news is establishing a baseline is a start, said Karl Deigert, who heads the Matlacha Civic Association and helped coordinate Harbor Branch's Fort Myers visit.

Deigert has a personal connection to the research.

"I was sick for two weeks with an upper respiratory thing I attribute to being on the river," Deigert said, "But it would be nice to be able to know if it was from the toxins from six hours of being on the river's edge, or was it coincidence?"

Researcher James Metcalf pulls up a sample of water from a North Fort Myers canal. He was on the Caloosahatchee researching toxic blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) that's been blooming in the river since June.

Another eager participant is Will Zariske, who until recently lived on his boat with his wife, Mikayla, in Cape Coral’s Rosen Park marina. 

Their daughter, Zaria, was recently born with health problems he and doctors attribute to Mikayla's live-aboard pregnancy and exposure to algae toxins, Zariske said.

The Harbor Branch study could help pin down such connections, “but at this point, they can’t say for sure," Deigert said. "That’s why they're doing the research — trying to close the loop, (but) the science is still in its infancy."

More:Cape Coral to ask state to test air quality for algae toxins

More:County sees blue-green algae dissipating, changes cleanup strategy

Deigert and others have been working to raise money for the research, because "the number of test they will be able to do is very dependent on their funding," he said. "The more money they get, the more people we can test." Many locals and nonprofits are chipping in, he said, including his association, which contributed $500, and Captains for Clean Water, which donated $1,000.

"Right now, most of my time is spent getting rapid grants and finding funding, piecing things together, trying to find support," Schaefer said. “It’s very expensive to do this kind of study, so we’ll be limited by supplies and time and the staff we have available." So, far, they’ve raised $2,900 of a $10,000 goal, according to the website.

Waterkeeper John Cassani is disappointed the state's health department isn't taking charge.

"Considering the amount of empirical information available on inhalation toxicity or primary contact, why aren't they responding in that context?" he said. "Many other states have taken much more progressive policies than Florida (and) and it's frustrating."

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More:How is it affecting tourism and other businesses?

Because it's self-funded, FAU's research, doesn't depend on state support. Once samples are gathered, the analysis begins, a slow, painstaking process, Schaefer said. "Once we have the study complete, it will be peer-reviewed. That could take between six months and a year," Schaefer said. "It’s not a speedy process, but we’re taking our time because it’s so important not to rush and do it well and thoroughly. We want to know our methodology is correct."

Researcher James Metcalf, left samples for toxic algae as Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani pilots a boat through the Caloosahatchee's cyanobacteria bloom

If more people show up Monday than the researchers can accommodate, Schaefer hopes they can be tested in the future.

"We’re not saying this is the only time we’ll be sampling," he said. "This is a pilot, and we hope to leverage it to be able to do more."

If you go

What: Researchers taking samples from people exposed to blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)

When: Noon-4 p.m. Monday

Where: Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers

Info: 278-4422; study details online here: http://www.fau.edu/hboi/pdf/HABS-10-2-18.pdf

If you go

What: Inaugural Florida Economic Water Summit

Panelists include: John Cassani, biologist and Calusa Waterkeeper; Wayne Daltry, former director of the SWFL Regional Planning Council; Dave Jensen, owner of Jensen’s Twin Palm Resort and Marina on Captiva; John Lai, president of the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce; Jacki Liszak, president of the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce; Corey McCloskey, John R. Wood Properties director of career development; Adam Vellano, BEX Realty, west coast sales manager; Dr. Shelton Weeks, department chair of economics and finance, Lucas Institute for Real Estate at FGCU; and Capt. Daniel Andrews, executive director, Captains for Clean Water

When: 5-9:45 p.m. Monday; doors open at 5 p.m. for a Clean Water Fair with representatives of area environmental nonprofits. Dinner is 6-7 p.m. followed by the discussion forum from 7-9 p.m. The Clean Water Fair continues from 9-9:45 p.m.

Where: Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers

Cost: $25 for dinner and the forum, $10 for the forum alone

Info, tickets online: The event Facebook page is: www.facebook.com/events/712586642427666/ For tickets online: https://broadwaypalm.com/shows/florida-economic-water-summit/