To one and all:
Latest on pfiesteria contamination of VA-MD-NC water. The studied
obtuseness of the VA authorities is beyond comment.
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Pfiesteria Exposure Suspected in Illness Of Virginia Worker
By Eric L. Wee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 2, 1997;
Page D01 The Washington Post
A Virginia official monitoring the Pocomoke River has developed lesions and
other symptoms linked to Pfiesteria piscicida, but Virginia's health
commissioner says that won't change his position that more study is needed
to prove that the fish-killing microbe is a threat to people.
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission said yesterday that one of its
workers who patrol the river had reported symptoms. Most of the Pocomoke is
in Maryland, which closed the river as a public health threat after
thousands of fish were found dead in August and pfiesteria was discovered
in the water.
Virginia officials have cooperated with Maryland's decision to close the
Pocomoke, putting the Virginia section off limits to fishing and
recreation. But they are skeptical of Maryland's aggressive approach. They
say there's no solid evidence that the microbe makes people sick, and
unlike Maryland officials, they have not closed rivers where evidence of
pfiesteria has been found but no fish kills have been reported.
The Virginia employee who got sick was treated last Thursday by Ritchie C.
Shoemaker, a physician in Pocomoke City, Md., who has treated other
patients with symptoms believed to have been caused by pfiesteria. Neither
Shoemaker nor Virginia officials would release the man's name.
Shoemaker said the worker had been in and on the Pocomoke River in both
Maryland and Virginia and had about a dozen lesions, 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches
long, that were not healing. He said the lesions were on skin that had come
into contact with the water.
"They were typical pfiesteria lesions . . . exactly like the 15 other
patients I've seen with them," Shoemaker said.
Like other patients Shoemaker has seen, the man had severe short-term
memory loss and could not, for example, remember a series of numbers for a
few minutes, Shoemaker said.
Virginia Health Commissioner Randolph L. Gordon again defended his state's
decision to keep open the Rappahannock River, where pfiesteria-like
microbes were detected but not linked to fish kills. Maryland has closed
two rivers where the microbe was found but no fish were reported killed,
calling the precaution necessary to protect public health.
Gordon said such drastic measures aren't called for because there's no
conclusive proof that pfiesteria harms humans -- especially in rivers where
it hasn't even been blamed for killing any fish.
"We're not dealing with anything that is confirmed at this point," Gordon
said of the state employee's symptoms. "We're trying to find out as quickly
as possible to see if this is a human health threat. We're working with
other states and with [the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention] to prove or disprove the hypothesis. This is not a foregone
conclusion. There is a lot more to be learned."
Julie Overy, a spokeswoman for Gov. George Allen (R), said Allen will not
change the state's policy toward pfiesteria until he gets a recommendation
from Gordon to do so.
But Shoemaker joined environmentalists in criticizing that approach and
urged Virginia to take actions similar to those taken by Maryland.
"We know that you can get sick, and others will likely be sick if they come
into contact with the pfiesteria toxin," Shoemaker said. "So if you're out
on the Rappahannock or another of [Virginia's] estuaries, you better look
out and take precautions. [Virginia] needs to stop denying that there is a
problem."
A panel of doctors appointed by Maryland officials has reported finding 22
people who suffered symptoms including lesions, memory loss and breathing
problems after exposure to the Pocomoke River and nearby Eastern Shore
waterways where pfiesteria was found.
Maryland officials said the report supported their decision to close three
rivers.
Virginia also has assembled a medical team to review reports of illnesses
that might be linked to pfiesteria exposure. Shoemaker said he had spoken
to the head of the team about the state employee's case.
Staff writer Todd Shields contributed to this report.
© Copyright 1997 The Washington Post Company
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