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Massachusetts Department of Public Health Harmful Algae Bloom Project: Update on 2013 Season

Massachusetts Department of Public Health Harmful Algae Bloom Project: Update on 2013 Season. Michael Celona, Chief, Water Toxics Unit Environmental Toxicology Program MDPH/Bureau of Environmental Health. Outline. Health Surveillance Environmental Surveillance Education and Outreach

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Massachusetts Department of Public Health Harmful Algae Bloom Project: Update on 2013 Season

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  1. Massachusetts Department of Public Health Harmful Algae Bloom Project:Update on 2013 Season Michael Celona, Chief, Water Toxics Unit Environmental Toxicology Program MDPH/Bureau of Environmental Health

  2. Outline • Health Surveillance • Environmental Surveillance • Education and Outreach • Press Inquiries • Questions?

  3. Program Activities: Health Surveillance • Active Health Surveillance • Visited 5 waterbodies with an existing advisory • Interviewed 14 individuals present • Most reported not going into water • Four reported recent water contact with no negative effect • Passive Health Surveillance • Mail-drops • When conducting active health surveillance, letters were mail-dropped to area residences informing them of advisory, potential health concerns, and MDPH contact info • Website information • HAB website: www.mass.gov/dph/beaches • List of current HAB advisories • Pamphlets • Posters • Presentations

  4. Program Activities: Environmental Surveillance • 110 water samples were collected by MDPH at 18 waterbodies and analyzed by contract laboratory. • Samples conducted for two types of activities: 1) routine collection at selected waterbodies and 2) rapid collection in response to reports of HABs. • An additional 58 water samples were collected and analyzed by MassDEP and private consultants and submitted to MDPH for review. • Based on a review of these data, MDPH recommended 14 separate advisories based on cell counts > 70k per ml.

  5. Program Activities: Environmental Surveillance

  6. Program Activities: Education and Outreach • Presentations • Massachusetts Health Officer Associations meetings • Four regional locations • Reached over 200 local health officials • Joint EPA-New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission regional workshop on HABs • Monponsett Pond Working Group • Working Group comprised of local and state officials and environmental groups • Monponsett Pond is a complex waterbody (in terms of management) that has lengthy HABs • MDPH HAB brochures • Distributed to local health official and residents

  7. Program Activities: Responding to Press Inquiries

  8. Questions? Michael Celona mike.celona@state.ma.us (617) 624-5757

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