Safety-Pfiesteria Alert To: "A - Division Chief and Staff", "B - Branch Chiefs and Offices", "FO - State, District, Subdistrict and other Field Offices", "PO - Project Offices", "DC - All District Chiefs", "SO - All Safety Officers" Cc: "Melvin Lew, Hydrologist, Reston, VA" , "Alice C Dilandro, Secretary (S), Reston, VA" Subject: Safety--Pfiesteria Alert Date: Thu, 09 Oct 1997 10:48:38 -0400 From: "Alice C Dilandro, Secretary (S), Reston, VA" In Reply Refer To: Mail Stop 405 MEMORANDUM To: Division Chief and Staff Branch Chiefs and Offices State, District, Subdistrict and other Field Offices Project Offices All District Chiefs WRD Safety personnel From: Catherine L. Hill Assistant Chief Hydrologist for Operations Subject: Safety-Pfiesteria Alert The U.S. Geological Survey Safety Office has issued a safety alert concerning Pfiesteria. The alert is shown below and can be found on their Home Page at the following web site: http://www.usgs.gov/usgs-safety/index.html Field and laboratory personnel that may come into contact with waters suspected of Pfiesteria outbreak or lab samples from these waters are to be made aware of the alert and reports of humans illnesses thought to be related to Pfiesteria contaminated water exposures. At this time, reported outbreaks have occurred only on the East Coast. WRD employees working in waters suspected of Pfiesteria outbreak are to avoid direct water contact. Until specific guidelines are available from Centers for Disease Control, suitable protective gear to protect from direct exposure should be used when working in or around these waters, and when handling items that have been immersed in waters suspected of Pfiesteria contamination. The National Water-Quality Laboratory posture is that every water or bottom material or biological sample is considered a potential hazard. The following precautions are to be taken during the handling of samples: o samples are placed inside a fume hood before opening (Engineering Controls), o appropriate gloves are to be worn, o no breathing of the samples, o no mouth pippetting, etc. Depending on the information submitted with the samples, employees are to wear half or full face masks at all times. USGS Safety Alert Pfiesteria Pfiesteria are microscopic organisms which produce toxins that cause lesions in fish and have resulted in fish kills in areas of North Carolina and the Chesapeake Bay. Pfiesteria has also recently been discovered near Jacksonville, Florida. Reports of illnesses in humans thought to be related to Pfiesteria contaminated water exposures are being investigated by public health authorities. A variety of adverse health effects have been experienced by persons exposed to Pfiesteria. Symptoms of skin contact include a burning sensation immediately after contact and the development of sores. Inhalation of toxic aerosols have resulted in respiratory irritation, severe headaches, blurred vision, nausea/vomiting, narcosis, an inefficiency in concentration, and short term memory loss. Presently no laboratory tests for the organism or the toxin exist to determine exposure. Persons whose work requires water contact should postpone such work in the vicinity of an ongoing fish kill or in waters suspected of Pfiesteria outbreak. If water contact cannot be postponed, protective gear should be used to reduce water contact. In addition suitable protective gear should be used when handling items that have been immersed in the waters of a Pfiesteria fish kill site. If you have been exposed to Pfiesteria infected waters or cultures and begin to show any of the symptoms listed above, promptly consult a physician.