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However, this text includes a good bit of information that is normally acquired in the field such as monitoring, equipment, and molecular techniques. I enjoyed reading it. Overall, I liked the book, and I will use it again as a textbook. It is also a useful reference book for both students and professionals new to this meta-discipline.
The editors assembled an outstanding group of authors to write the chapters, and they have nicely covered every aspect of OHH. I feel fortunate to have this book in my personal library and sincerely hope that the editors compile future editions. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U.
Journal List Environ Health Perspect v. Jay Grimes is professor of coastal sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi. Most recently, Grimes has focused his research on the distribution of and human health risks from waterborne pathogens, especially Vibrio species. Publication of EHP lies in the public domain and is therefore without copyright.
All text from EHP may be reprinted freely. Use of materials published in EHP should be acknowledged for example,? Reproduced with permission from Environmental Health Perspectives? Potential health implications may be direct in the case of antimicrobial resistance, potentially untreatable, life-threatening infection or indirect e.
Plastic pollution is an interesting example, because plastic use is ubiquitous globally in human societies, and its many benefits include being inexpensive, lightweight, and versatile. Linking oceans and human health: A strategic research priority for Europe , by the European Marine Board, , p. Although infectious pathogens multiply within the human host, some are also well known for multiplying in the environment; the most notable of these are Vibrio species, which multiply under warm estuarine conditions Grimes et al.
These pathogens can cause gastrointestinal, respiratory, and dermatological diseases in humans through direct skin and aerosol contact and incidental ingestion during swimming as well as through the food chain Fleisher et al. The issue of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus [MRSA ] derived from environmental not hospital exposure, including the oceans, has also become a major human and animal health concern Plano et al.
HABs are caused by microscopic phytoplankton at the base of the marine food chain. HABs differ from microbial pollutants, in that they are not infectious in humans, but rather multiply outside the human host. Some HAB organisms can produce in the ocean environment potent natural toxins that, through a variety of exposure routes, can cause a range of human health effects from skin and respiratory irritation to neurological disease and even death. The cause of algae blooming often derives from terrestrial nutrient inputs, such as agricultural runoff and sewage. HABs, microbial pollution, and anthropogenic chemicals can all be present in marine waters and food chains together as mixtures resulting from different exposures, with as yet unknown long-term effects on both ecosystem and human health, especially with a long period of chronic exposure Boxhall, ; Depledge et al.
The benefits and opportunities from the myriad of interactions between humans and oceans are clear from millennia of human trade, exploration, tourism, and historical and cultural uses of the oceans Bowen et al. Through seafood, the oceans and seas have also served and continue to serve as an important source of protein and other nutrients e. More recently, products derived from marine ecosystems have been recognized as a major benefit to human health and well-being. These include marine pharmaceuticals e. Furthermore, marine models of human disease and physiology in the laboratory have also helped warn of such dangers e.
Finally, improved modeling and forecasting have been important outgrowths and functions of the ocean sciences, leading to identifiable benefits, such as hurricane and cyclone forecasting, which can save millions of lives, as well as increasingly sophisticated modeling of global climate change, as demonstrated by the Nobel Prize—winning international collaborative efforts of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC Depledge et al. For instance, evidence from the United Kingdom has shown that people report better mental and overall health, the closer they live to the coasts especially in more deprived communities.
People who live near the coast tend to exercise more, and visits to the coast are described as being more stress reducing than visits to other natural places. Given the growing obesity and mental health epidemics worldwide, these data could have important implications, in terms of future disease prevention and health interventions as well as medical cost savings Wheeler et al. This finding may add to the already high use of coastal and marine areas as part of global marine tourism, with the potential for greater appreciation of these areas.
Figure 4a, 4b, 4c. The many recreational uses of marine and coastal waters. As with the more overt risks, benefits also can have their own risks to human or ecosystem health, or both. For example, with the growth of coastal tourism, there is the potential risk for increasing direct damage to fragile coastal ecosystems as a result of more visits and for greater restriction of access to these health-generating coastal environments as the perceived economic and social value of the coasts rises the latter may be a risk for more deprived communities in particular Wheeler et al.
The promise of aquaculture is the rapid production of seafood, possibly sparing the wild seafood supply. However, the reality of unsustainable aquaculture can be significant local ecosystem degradation and seafood that is contaminated with pharmaceuticals and other chemicals with the potential for human health effects. Aquaculture also can contribute to polluted coastal waters and have genetic and other impacts on wild seafood e.
Therefore, like the other challenges of the oceans and human health, coastal tourism and aquaculture must be approached in a holistic and truly interdisciplinary manner that takes into account the long-term health and sustainability of both humans and ecosystems Cao et al. With each year, new challenges and opportunities are being identified that are relevant to the metadiscipline of oceans and human health. Oceans and seas have served as international borders for millennia, yet many of the interactions of the oceans and human health spread easily beyond these borders through physical, chemical, and atmospheric processes as well as human activity.
Therefore, an ongoing challenge is determining the appropriate legal, regulatory, and policy approaches for preventing or mitigating negative transborder interactions Bowen et al. This has led to a proliferation of local, national, regional, and even global regulations on issues relevant to oceans and human health, ranging from microbial pollution of bathing water in the EU EU Bathing Water Directive to the global dumping of persistent organic pollutants Stockholm Convention. There is also an increasing movement to assign various degrees of protection and limitation of access to highly valued coastal and marine areas e.
The efficacy and long-term impacts of these activities need to be evaluated in terms of immediate and distant risks and benefits to both humans and ecosystems Bowen et al.
Furthermore, these complexities underline the importance of interdisciplinary research that incorporates the social sciences as well as the natural sciences in the exploration of risks and opportunities. In addition, areas have been identified for development i. For instance, the EU Blue Growth strategy has put forward five key areas for expansion: These efforts do not explicitly acknowledge potential impacts on human health and well-being, although marine ecosystem sustainability is mentioned.
There is incipient exploration of the human and ecosystem impacts from aquaculture, coastal tourism, and certain aspects of marine biotechnology e. From these terrestrial activities, valuable lessons can and should be learned and applied, although exporting the activities to the oceans and seas will undoubtedly create new complexities and challenges Bowen et al. Furthermore, no research is being done on the cumulative effects on both human health and well-being and ecosystem health, in Europe or globally, of a rapid and simultaneous ramping up of development in the five blue growth areas.
A strategic research priority for Europe , by the European Marine Board, The area of stakeholder engagement and ocean literacy will be key to the future health of ocean and sea ecosystems and therefore to human health and well-being Reis et al. This aspect is particularly important, given the complex and mixed messages of oceans and human health research, which can be confusing and contradictory for all stakeholders including researchers , as they represent a weighing of risks and benefits as they emerge from ocean—human interactions.
For example, seafood is discussed as both a source of healthful nutrients and a route of exposure to anthropogenic and other chemicals, whereas global wild fisheries are crashing, and aquaculture can be unsustainable. Another example is the call, in the early 21st century, to limit carbon generation to mitigate and slow the progression of climate change, while increasing our dependence on fossil fuels through the expansion of technologies such as fracking rather than use of alternative, cleaner fuel sources. Furthermore, in all the coastal and marine issues identified, there was substantially less reported knowledge about these issues than reported concern; that is, respondents showed a lack of ocean literacy.
On the whole, there was a clear link between awareness of ocean issues and top perceived research priorities. Therefore, an informed public and other stakeholders are critical factors in addressing current and future challenges for oceans and human health Fleming et al. Based on experience with oceans and human health interactions and challenges, only an integrated and interdisciplinary approach with a broad and long-term vision will identify and potentially manage both the risks and the benefits to human and ocean health from current, new, and as yet unknown interactions.
In Europe, for instance, one hopeful sign of the increasing support for oceans and human health research and training has been explicit recognition by the European Marine Board b report the Rome Declaration , adopted at the EurOCEAN Conference, in Rome. In the past EurOCEAN declarations have led to substantial new funding and policy interest in their identified focus; it is hoped that similar resources and attention will be given to support oceans and human health as an important and interdisciplinary research and training area with future global impacts.
Finally, to truly grapple with the complexity and enormity of the interactions between oceans and human health, there needs to be a profound change in how we view these interactions and their significance, now and into the future:. At a fundamental level, we need to reconceive our relationship with water including the oceans and seas [italics added] itself to ensure that the integrating frameworks and economic tools that we employ in decision-making processes reflect not just the industrial and economic values of water, but also reflect the social and ecological benefits that underpin many livelihoods and our general well-being.
The authors would like to dedicate this article to two important researchers and leaders in the world of oceans and human health, Eric Dewailly, of Laval University, and Laurence Mee, of the Scottish Association for Marine Science. Their interdisciplinary research approach; creativity; inclusiveness; and international, horizon-scanning perspectives have enriched all whose lives they touched and have contributed directly to oceans and human health.
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