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Abstract #149238

Lora E. Fleming, MD, PhD¹, Barbara Kirkpatrick, EdD, RRT², Lorraine C. Backer, PhD, MPH³, Andrew Reich, MS, MSPH⁴, Judy Bean, PhD⁵, Adam Wanner, MD⁶, Kate Nierenberg, MS², Julie Zaias, DVM PhD⁷, Yung Sung Cheng, PhD⁸, Richard Pierce, PhD², Jerome Naar, PhD⁹, William M. Abraham, PhD¹⁰, Yue Zhou, PhD⁸, Michael Henry, MS², Gary Kirkpatrick, PhD², Janet Benson, PhD⁸, Andrea Bourdelais, PhD⁹, Sharon M. Watkins, PhD⁴, Mark Harrington, MS¹¹, and Daniel Baden, PhD¹². (1) Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, 1120 NW 14th Street, Clinical Research Building, 10th Floor (R669), Miami, FL 33136, 305-243-5912, lfleming@med.miami.edu, (2) Mote Marine Laboratory, Environmental Health Program, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236, (3) National Center for Environmental Health, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Studies Branch, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, MS F-46, Chamblee, GA 30341, (4) Florida Department of Health, Aquatic Toxins Program, 4052 Bald Cypress Way Bin A08, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1712, (5) Childrens Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati, 7116 Hamilton Hills Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244, (6) Pulmonary Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Rosenstiel Medical Building R47, Miami, FL 33136, (7) Pathology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, JMH East Tower R 5, Miami, FL 33136, (8) Lovelace Respiratory Institute, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM 87108, (9) Center for Marine Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28409, (10) Mt Sinai Hospital, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, (11) Twin Cities Hospital, Pulmonary Group, Niceville, FL 32578, (12) Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 5600 Marvin Moss Lane, Wilmington, NC 28409

Florida red tides occur annually in the Gulf of Mexico as blooms of marine dinoflagellates, Karenia brevis. K. brevis produces highly potent natural polyether toxins, brevetoxins, which cause bronchoconstriction in experimental animals. In prior studies, people with asthma had increased respiratory symptoms and deceased pulmonary function after walking on beaches during Florida red tides. Brevetoxins, measured by LCMS, HPLC and ELISA, were detected in both seawater and aerosol samples collected on the beach.

In a subsequent study, high concentrations of Karenia brevis cells (1-4.6 million cells/L) and brevetoxins (13.4-128.0 um/L) were found in seawater. However, because of strong off-shore winds, concentrations of brevetoxins in aerosols were close to analytic limits of detection (0.01-0.14 ng/m3) in high-volume air samples. Sixty-four persons with physician-diagnosed asthma were evaluated before and after a 1 hour walk on the beach using a questionnaire and spirometry. Compared with results obtained before beach exposure, participants were significantly more likely to report respiratory symptoms and demonstrate significant decreases in pulmonary function afterwards. This is consistent with previous studies with on-shore winds and measurable concentrations of brevetoxins in aerosol samples. There were no differences in respiratory symptoms or pulmonary function during a study without Florida red tide.

This study demonstrated adverse health effects in asthmatics from inhaling aerosolized brevetoxins at concentrations close to current limits of detection. This study has implications for asthmatics in geographic areas that regularly experience Florida red tides: previously it was believed to be “safe” to use beaches as long as the winds were off-shore.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the exposures of Florida red tide toxins
• Identify the effects of aerosolized Florida red tide toxins, particularly in asthmatic populations
• Explore possible public health and medical responses to this recurrent natural event

Keywords: Toxicants, Asthma

Related Web page: www.mote.org/niehsredtidestudy/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.