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Article: Remember pfiesteria? Occupational exposure unlikely to cause cognitive effects.(Science Selections)(Clinical report)
- Article from:
- Environmental Health Perspectives
- Article date:
- July 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Case reports have suggested that exposure to the dinoflagellate Pfiesteria may contribute to deficits in human learning and memory. Until now, however, there has been no clear, objective documentation of health effects associated with regular occupational exposure to this organism. The results of the first systematic, multiyear study of Pfiesteria's human health effects now demonstrate that commercial fishermen ("watermen") likely do not face significant health risks from routine occupational exposure to the organism [EHP 114:1038-1043; Morris et al.].
Pfiesteria is a common inhabitant of estuarine waters in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region in the summer and fall. In ...