HUMAN VISUAL FUNCTION IN THE NORTH CAROLINA CLINICAL STUDYON POSSIBLE ESTUARY-ASSOCIATED SYNDROME
Abstract
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assisted the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in conducting a study to investigate the potential for an association between fish kills in the North Carolina estuary system and the risk for persistent health effects. Impetus for the study was recent evidence suggesting that estuarine dinoflagellates, including members of the toxic Pfiesteria complex (TPC), P. piscicida and P. schumwayae, may release a toxin(s) that kills fish and adversely affects human health. This report describes one component of the study in which visual system function was assessed. Participants working primarily in estuaries inhabited by TPC or in off-shore waters thought not to contain TPC were studied. The potentially exposed estuary (n = 22) and unexposed offshore (n = 20) workers were matched for age, gender, and education. Visual acuity did not differ significantly between the cohorts, but visual contrast sensitivity (VCS), an indicator of visual pattern-detection ability for stimuli of various sizes, was significantly reduced by about 30% in the estuary relative to the offshore cohort. A further analysis that excluded participants having a history possibly predictive of neuropsychological impairment showed a similar VCS reduction. Additional analyses indicated that differences between the cohorts in age, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, and total time spent on any water did not account for the difference in VCS. Exploratory analyses suggested a possible association between the magnitude of VCS reduction and hours spent in contact with a fish kill. The profile of VCS deficit across stimulus sizes resembled that seen in organic solvent-exposed workers, but an assessment of occupational solvent, and other neurotoxicant, exposures did not indicate differences between the cohorts. These results suggest that factor(s) associated with the North Carolina estuaries, including the possibility of exposure to TPC toxin(s), may impair visual system function.
Key Biomarkers
Symptom Clusters
Cited By (10)
- Chronic biotoxin-associated illness: Multiple-system symptoms, a vision deficit, and effective treatmentNeurotoxicology and Teratology · 2005
- Sick building syndrome (SBS) and exposure to water-damaged buildings: Time series study, clinical trial and mechanismsNeurotoxicology and Teratology · 2006
- Apartment residents' and day care workers' exposures to tetrachloroethylene and deficits in visual contrast sensitivity.Environmental Health Perspectives · 2002
- A time-series study of sick building syndrome: chronic, biotoxin-associated illness from exposure to water-damaged buildingsNeurotoxicology and Teratology · 2005
- Association between spill-related exposure to fine particulate matter and peripheral motor and sensory nerve function among oil spill response and cleanup workers following the Deepwater Horizon oil spillJournal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology · 2023
- Neurobehavioral effects of harmful algal bloom (HAB) toxins: a critical reviewJournal of the International Neuropsychological Society · 2005
Related Papers
- Synergistic interaction in simultaneous exposure to Streptomyces californicus and Stachybotrys chartarumEnvironmental Health Perspectives · 2004 · 15 shared tags
- Correction to “Maitotoxin induces biphasic interleukin-1β secretion and membrane blebbing in murine macrophages”Mol Pharmacol · 2004 · 15 shared tags
- Cholestyramine protection against ochratoxin A toxicity: role of ochratoxin A sorption by the resin and bile acid enterohepatic circulationJournal of Food Protection · 1999 · 15 shared tags
- In vitro and in vivo studies to assess the effectiveness of cholestyramine as a binding agent for fumonisinsMycopathologia · 2001 · 15 shared tags
- Occurrence of Toxigenic Aspergillus versicolor Isolates and Sterigmatocystin in Carpet Dust from Damp Indoor EnvironmentsApplied and Environmental Microbiology · 2002 · 15 shared tags
- Possible estuary-associated syndrome: symptoms, vision, and treatment.Environmental Health Perspectives · 2001 ·