Occupational exposure to aerosolized brevetoxins during Florida red tide events: effects on a healthy worker population.(Brevetoxins: Mini-Monograph)

From: Environmental Health Perspectives | Date: May 1, 2005| Author: | Copyright information

Karenia brevis (formerly Gymnodinium breve) is a marine dinoflagellate responsible for red tides that form in the Gulf of Mexico. K. brevis produces brevetoxins, the potent toxins that cause neurotoxic shellfish poisoning. There is also limited information describing human health effects from environmental exposures to brevetoxins. Our objective was to examine the impact of inhaling aerosolized brevetoxins during red tide events on self-reported symptoms and pulmonary function. We recruited a group of 28 healthy lifeguards who are occupationally exposed to red tide toxins during ...

<30 years of age and with no reported underlying pulmonary disease) reported difficulty in obtaining a deep breath and had decreases in pulmonary function parameters on a day when K. brevis cell counts were measured at>
<0.01. 
 
Table 6. Changes in PFT results in study participants before and after 
their shifts. 
 
                                     Exposure period 
 
                                                  Exposure level 1 
PFT parameter              Unexposed (n = 28)       (n = 17) (a) 
 
FVC (c) (L)                0.08 [+ or -] 0.15    0.00 [+ or -] 0.13 
FE[V.sub.1] (d) (L)        0.07 [+ or -] 0.15   -0.03 [+ or -] 0.17 * 
FE[V.sub.1]/FVC (%)        0.21 [+ or -] 3.41   -0.57 [+ or -] 2.05 
FE[F.sub.25-75%] (e) (L)   0.03 [+ or -] 0.35   -0.08 [+ or -] 0.44 
Peak flow (L/sec)          0.24 [+ or -] 0.74   -0.21 [+ or -] 0.70 * 
 
                             Exposure period 
 
                             Exposure level 2 
PFT parameter                  (n = 13) (b) 
 
FVC (c) (L)                -0.02 [+ or -] 0.17 
FE[V.sub.1] (d) (L)         0.03 [+ or -] 0.17 
FE[V.sub.1]/FVC (%)         0.63 [+ or -] 2.26 
FE[F.sub.25-75%] (e) (L)    0.17 [+ or -] 0.38 
Peak flow (L/sec)          -0.09 [+ or -] 0.69 
 
Values are mean [+ or -] SD of the changes (preshift minus postshift) 
in the PFT parameters. The level of exposure was determined by the 
concentration of brevetoxins in the air. 
 
(a) Detectable concentrations of brevetoxin (PbTx-2 plus PbTx-3) in 
air samples. (b) Brevetoxin (PbTx-2 plus PbTx-3) concentrations>

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