The following news items are selected from the weekly summaries put out
by Kate Wing at the Department of Commerce.
Forwarded message:
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 15:11:26 -0400
From: Kate Wing <Kate_Wing@commerce.senate.gov>
Subject: Rule: CRS Summary - 9/26/97 - Friday Version
Pfiesteria?
On Aug. 29, 1997, MD and VA officials closed a 7-mile stretch
of the lower Pocomoke River indefinitely to fishing, swimming,
and recreational boating to limit human exposure to Pfiesteria
toxin that medical researchers from Johns Hopkins Hospital and
the Univ. of MD Medical Center believe has caused illness in at
least 7 people. Five individuals were observedto have noticeable
changes in brain tissue.
On Sept. 2, 1997, a scientific advisory committee was scheduled
to meet in Annapolis, MD to examine datafrom the Pocomoke River.
On Sept. 2, 1997, VA Institute of Marine Science scientists collected menhaden from the Rappahannock River, with about 30% having Pfiesteria-like sores. No fish kill was reported.
VA officials reportedthat similar outbreaks have been noted on
the Rappahannock, James, andYork Rivers since 1984.
On Sept. 2, 1997, the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services
announced that it would establish a medical team from NC medical
universities to evaluate NC residents who have been exposed to
waters associated with fish kills in the Neuse River and other
areas. In early September 1997, scientists from the FL Div. of
Marine Resources announced that samples tested from the Pocomoke
River contained a new species ofGymnodinium dinoflagellate rather
than Pfiesteria.
On Sept. 3, 1997, a third, small fish kill was detected
on the lower Pocomoke River, within the already-closed area.
On Sept. 4, 1997, VA scientists netted small numbersof live menhaden
with lesions in VA waters of Pocomoke Sound.
On Sept. 5, 1997, officials of the MD Dept. of Natural
Resources announced that the State plans to reimburse crabbers
for losses sustained during the late August closure of the Pocomoke
River. In early September 1997, NC established a telephone hotline
to gather information from people who believe they may be suffering
from Pfiesteria-related health problems.
On Sept. 9, 1997, the MD Dept. of Natural Resources announced
expansion of a telephone hotline service in an attempt to solicit
any reports of possible Pfiesteria effects outside the lower Pocomoke
River area. On Sept. 9, 1997, Jerrauld C. Jones, Chairman of
the VA House of Delegates Committee on the Chesapeake Bayand Its
Tributaries, announced that he intended to hold a hearing in October
1997 on Pfiesteria and associated concerns.
On Sept. 10, 1997, MD state officials announced that large
numbers of fish with Pfiesteria-like symptoms hadbeen reported
in King's Creek in the Manokin River watershed. King's Creek
was immediately closed indefinitely to fishing and boating. MD
officials planned additional monitoring of the Pocomoke, Manokin,
Little Annemessex,and Big Annemessex Rivers on Sept. 11 for any
additional signs of Pfiesteria. MD officials were also reported
that the Nanticoke River is of concern since it is similar to
the Pocomoke River, and that sampling was being conducted onthe
Patuxent River.
On Sept. 11, 1997, the House approved an amendment to
H.R 2264, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, that would
provide $7million to the Centers for Disease Control for activities
to address emerging issues of human health effects from exposure
to Pfiesteria.
On Sept. 11, 1997, MD Governor Glendening announced the
creation of a regionalgovernor's commission to develop a regional
approach and suggested legislation for dealing with Pfiesteria
problems.
On Sept. 13, 1997, lesions were discovered on menhaden
in the Chicamacomico River in Dorchester County, MD; a six-mile
stretch of this River was closed to fishing and boating on Sept.
14.
In mid-September 1997, NC State Univ. officials announcedplans
to build a $1 million research center devoted exclusively to the
study of Pfiesteria.
{In mid-September 1997, MD Governor Glendening provided
$2 million to MD farmers for winter cover crops. This money was
allocated within two days, with farmers pledging to plant 99,000
acres in grain this fall.
In mid-September 1997, although a VA Commonwealth Univ.
scientist reportedthat 40% of the largemouth bass and suckers
in the James River near Richmond had sores or lesions, no dead
fish were seen and Pfiesteria was not identified.}
On Sept. 15, 1997, VA officials reported that 75% of the
menhaden sampled on the Rappahannock River had lesions.
On Sept. 16, 1997, VA's Health Commissioner announced that
VA would create an independent team of medical experts to assess
Pfiesteria's effects on human health, after learning that MD officials
declined to release information on theirstudies of 28 individuals
reported to have suffered harm from contact with Pfiesteria toxins.
On Sept. 17, 1997, VA Governor George Allen ordered the
VA Dept. of Health to create a Pfiesteria epidemiology research
unit andauthorized $2.3 million for Pfiesteria research, including
transferring $600,000 in contingency funds to the new unit and
designating $200,000 for thepurchase of a scanning electron microscope
and training of researchers working on the Pfiesteria issue.
On Sept. 17, 1997, VA Institute of Marine Science biologists
were reported to have found lesions on 86 of 92 menhaden taken
from the Great Wicomico River.
On Sept. 17, 1997, the state-organized team of MD physicians
announced its findings, reaffirming earlier suspicions that Pfiesteria
may cause human illness, including memory loss and inability to
concentrate.
On Sept. 19, 1997, governors and state officials from 6
mid-Atlantic states (MD, VA, NC, DE, PA, and WV) met in Annapolis,
MD, to consider a coordinated response to Pfiesteria. {Mid-Atlantic
governors andstate officials signed an Agreement of Regional Cooperation
pledging to jointly request assistance from the federal government
to deal with Pfiesteria and to share data and monitoring results.
On Sept. 22, 1997, an 11-member MD gubernatorial commission
began 6 weeks of discussions aimed at formulatingMD's response
to Pfiesteria.
On Sept. 24, 1997, the Associated Press reported that several
mid-Atlantic grocery chains adopted corporate policy in early
September 1997, to not purchase or sell certain items of MD or
Chesapeake Bay seafood while Pfiesteria was a concern. Spokespeople
for these chains indicated that increased consumer rejection of
local seafood caused them to adopt this policy.}
On Sept. 25, 1997, the House Committeeon Government Reform
and Oversight's Subcommittee on Human Resources held a pair of
oversight hearings on the state and federal public health response
to Pfiesteria outbreaks. [Subcommittee press release, Assoc Press,
Reuters, personal communication]
Items in this summary are excerpted from a variety of information
sources. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is not responsible
for the accuracy of the various news items.