Abstract
A pilot project was conducted to examine the health status and possible adverse health effects associated with seawater exposure (microbial water-quality indicators and phytoplankton abundance and their toxins) of surfers in Monterey Bay, Central California coastal waters. Forty-eight surfers enrolled in the study and completed an initial health background survey and weekly health surveys online using Survey Monkey. Descriptive statistics and generalized estimating equation, a regression technique, were used to identify longitudinal and correlated results. The surfers were predominately Caucasian, male, and physically active. They surfed approximately 4 h a week. Their average age was 34 years. The data indicated that the surfers were generally “healthy,” with a low prevalence of diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. Their most common health problems were allergies and asthma. During the study, 10% of the surfers reported gastrointestinal symptoms and 29% reported upper respiratory symptoms. This study suggests surfers were significantly more likely to report upper respiratory symptoms when they had a history of allergies, housemates with upper respiratory symptoms, and/or a history of previous adverse health symptoms while surfing during a “red tide” (an event often associated with the presence of phytoplankton toxins). Additionally, female surfers reported upper respiratory symptoms more than males.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Berdalet E, Fleming LE, Gowen R, Davidson K, Hess P, Backer LC, Moore SK, Hoagland P, and Enevoldsen H (2016) Marine harmful algal blooms, human health and wellbeing: Challenges and opportunities in the 21st century. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 96(1):61–91.
Bowen R, Depledge MH, Carlarne C, & Fleming LE (Eds.) (2014) Oceans and human health: Implications for society and wellbeing. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
California department of public health. monthly marine biotoxins report. April and December 2015. www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/environhealth/.../shellfishreports.aspx
Dwight RH, Baker DB, Semenza JC, and Olson BH (2004) Health effects associated with recreational coastal water use: urban versus rural California. American Journal of Public Health 94(4):565–567.
Fleisher JM, Fleming LE, Solo-Gabriele HM, Kish JK, Sinigalliano CD, Plano L, Elmir SM, Wang JD, Withum K, Shibata T, Gidley ML, Abdelzaher A, Guoqing H, Ortega C, Zhu X, Wright M, Hollenbeck J, and Backer LC (2010) The BEACHES Study: health effects and exposures from non-point source microbial contaminants in subtropical recreational marine waters. International Journal of Epidemiology, 39(5):1291–1298. http://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyq084
Fleming LE, Kirkpatrick B, Backer LC, Bean JA, Wanner A, Reich A, Zaias J, Cheng YS, Pierce R, Naar J, Abraham WM, and Baden DG (2007) Aerosolized red-tide toxins (brevetoxins) and asthma. Chest 131:187–194.
Fleming LE, Depledge MH, McDonough N, White M, Pahl S, Austen M, Goksoyr A, Solo-Gabriele H and Stegeman J (2015) The Oceans and Human Health. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.12
Houston, James R (2008) The economic value of beaches. Shore & Beach 76(3):22–26.
International Surfing Association (http://www.statisticbrain.com/surfing-statistics)
Jessup DA, Ames J, Bossart G, Hill J, Gonzalez B, and DeVogelaere A (1998) Brevetoxin as cause of summer mortality in common murres in California. San Diego, California: Proceeding of the 29th international association for aquatic animal medicine.
Kirkpatrick B, Fleming LE, Squicciarini D, Backer LC, Clark R, Abraham W, Benson J, Cheng YS, Johnson D, Pierce R, Zaias J, Bossart GD, and Baden DG (2004) Literature review of Florida red tide: implications for human health effects. Harmful Algae 3(2):99–115. doi:10.1016/j.hal.2003.08.005.
Kirkpatrick B, Fleming LE, Bean JA, Nierenberg K, Backer LC, Cheng YS, Pierce R, Reich A, Naar J, Wanner A, Abraham WM, Zhou Y, Hollenbeck J, and Baden DG (2011) Aerosolized red tide toxins (brevetoxins) and asthma: continued health effects after 1 hour beach exposure. Harmful Algae 10(2):138–143. doi:10.1016/j.hal.2010.08.005.
Kuusi M, Nuorti JP, Maunula L, Miettinen I, Pesonen H, and von Bonsdorff CH (2004) Internet use and epidemiologic investigation of gastroenteritis outbreak. Emerging Infectious Diseases 10(3):447–450.
Lefebvre KA, Powell CL, Busman M, Doucette GJ, Moeller PD, Silver JB, Miller PE, Hughes MP, Singaram S, Silver MW, and Tjeerdema RS (1999) Detection of domoic acid in northern anchovies and California sea lions associated with an unusual mortality event. Natural Toxins 7(3):85–92.
Audrey Legat, Veronica French and Niall Mcdonough (2016) An economic perspective on oceans and human health. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 96(1):13–17.
Lipp EK, Rivera IN, Gil AI, Espeland EM, Choopan N, and Louis VR (2002) Direct detection of Vibrio cholerae and ctxA in Peruvian coastal water and plankton by PCR. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 69(6):3676–3680.
London Times 5/14/10 (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/ water_sports/article7126609.ece).
Milian A, Nierenberg K, Fleming LE, Bean JA, Backer LC, Jayroe D, and Kirkpatrick B (2007) Reported respiratory symptom intensity in asthmatics during exposure to aerosolized Florida red tide toxins. Journal of Asthma 44(7):583–587.
O’Halloran C, Silver MW, Holman TR, and Scholin CA (2006) Heterosigma akashiwo in central California waters. Harmful Algae 5:124–132.
Pocklington WD (1990) Harmonized protocols for the adoption of standardized pure analytical methods and for the presentation of their performance-characteristics. Pure and Applied Chemistry 62(1):149–162.
Santa Cruz County Department of Environmental Health Services (http://scceh.com/Home/Programs/WaterResources/WaterResourcesDocumentsLinks/CurrentWaterQualityInformation.aspx)
Schachter NE, Zuskin E, Moshier EL, Godbold J, Mustajbegovic J, Pucarin-Cvetkovic J, and Chiarelli A (2009) Gender and respiratory findings in workers occupationally exposed to organic aerosols: A meta analysis of 12 cross-sectional studies. Environmental Health 8:1.
Scholin CA, Gulland F, Doucette GJ, Benson S, Busman M, Chavez FP, Cordaro J, DeLong R, De Vogelaere A, Harvey J, Haulena M, Lefebvre K, Lipscomb T, Loscutoff S, Lowenstine LJ, Marin R 3rd, Miller PE, McLellan WA, Moeller PD, Powell CL, Rowles T, Silvagni P, Silver M, Spraker T, Trainer V, and Van Dolah FM (2000) Mortality of sea lions along the central California coast linked to a toxic diatom bloom. Nature 403(6765):80–84.
Solo-Gabriel HM, Harwood VJ, Kay D, Fujioka RS, Sadowsky MJ, Whitman RL, Wither A, Canica M, Carvalho da Fonseca, Duarte A, Edge TA, Gargaté MJ, Gunde-Cimerman N, Ferry Hagen F, McLellan SL, Alexandra Nogueira da Silva A, Monika Novak Babič M, Susana Prada S, Rodrigues R, Romão D, Sabino R, Samson RA, Segal E, Staley C, Taylor HD, Veríssimo C, Viegas C, Barroso H, Brandão JC (2016) Beach sand and the potential for infectious disease transmission: Observations and recommendations. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 96(1):101–120
StataCorp. Stata Statistical Software: Release 11. College Station, Texas: StataCorp
Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com).
Turbow DJ, Kent EE, and Jiang SC (2008) Web-based investigation of water associated illness in marine bathers. Environmental Research 106(1):101–109.
United Nations Atlas of the Oceans (www.oceansatlas.org)
Van Dolah FM (2000) Marine Algal Toxins: Origins, health effects, and their increased occurrence. Environmental Health Perspectives 108(1):133–141
Vezzulli L, Colwell RR, and Pruzzo C (2013) Ocean warming and spread of pathogenic vibrios in the aquatic environment. Microbial Ecology 65:817–825.
Vigilant V and Silver M (2007) Domoic acid in benthic flatfish on the continental shelf of Monterey Bay, California, USA. Marine Biology 151:2053–2062
Wade TJ, Calderon RL, Sams E, Beach M, Brenner KP, Williams AH, and Dufour AP (2006) Rapidly measured indicators of recreational water quality are predictive of swimming-associated gastrointestinal illness. Environmental Health Perspectives 114(1):24–28.
Young N (2016) The association between marine bathing and infectious diseases–a review. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 96(1):93–100.
Zoltan TB, Taylor KS, and Achar SA (2005) Health issues for surfers. American Family Physician 71(12):2313–2317.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
O’Halloran, C., Silver, M.W., Lahiff, M. et al. Respiratory Problems Associated with Surfing in Coastal Waters. EcoHealth 14, 40–47 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-016-1197-6
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-016-1197-6