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Do the Oceans really affect our
health and wellbeing?
Professor Michael H. Depledge PhD DSc FRCP
Chair of Environment and Human Health
The environments in which we live influence
our health, wellbeing and longevity.
25% Genes : 75% Environment
Context
Mountains and
Human Health
Oceans and
Human Health
Deserts and
Human Health
Rivers and
Human Health
Forests and
Human Health
Savannah and
Human Health
Oceans and Human Demographics
• 2-3 billion increase in population by 2050 in developing
countries of the tropics and subtropics.
• Sewage disposal largely into estuaries and coastal waters.
• More than half of the world's 7.4 billion population currently live
in cities. Up to 60% by 2030.
• World’s 33 mega cities each have > 8 million residents).
• 21 are coastal/estuarine cities.
• 50% of the EU citizens live within 50 km of sea.
Why focus on coastal communities?
• Seafood is a vital source of protein (half from coastal
aquaculture).
• Reduction or interruption of this food supply could be
catastrophic both economically and with regard to the health
and wellbeing of more than 2 billion people.
Why focus on coastal communities?
• Industrial manufacture is shifting to lower and middle
income countries mainly near rivers, estuaries and coasts
(with associated pollutant discharges)
• Many adverse impacts of climate change are (& will be) felt
by coastal and estuarine communities (sea-level rise, storms,
altered precipitation and ocean currents, etc.)
The Human Connection: Thames Estuary, England
A historical perspective…….
More…..
More people living by the coasts
More consumption of goods and energy
More transport across our sea.
More frequent and intense storms
More sea level rise and coastal flooding
More invasive species
More algal blooms
More chemical contaminants
More contamination with plastics (macro, micro and nano)
More pathogens (potentially antibiotic resistant pathogens)
More extensive aquaculture (GMOs?)
More coastal and marine tourism (active leisure and cruises)
More deep sea mining
More exploration for non-renewable energy resources (deep sea
fracking)
More renewable and non-renewable energy from the sea.
More extensive knowledge of ocean geomorphology and biology
(including many new species)
More detailed knowledge of the ocean-climate system
Leading Causes of Death (1900 vs 2010)
1.5
What next?
7.0
Why should medical professionals be
concerned about the threats posed by
seasand oceans to human health?
Health impacts in coastal communities
• Coastal Flooding: ca. 1560 flood disasters - 1994-2004.
Killed 120,000, affected 2 million.
• Hurricanes and Typhoons: Mitch, Honduras, Oct 1998. 18,000 deaths.
Katrina, USA, Aug. 2005. 1800 deaths
Haiyan, Philippines, Nov 2008, 5200 deaths
• Earthquakes and Tsunamis: 226,000 deaths - 13 countries over 10 yrs.
150,000 additional deaths due to disease.
• Infectious Diseases: >700 million live near coasts - discharge raw
sewage >> 120 million cases GI disease pa.
50 million cases of respiratory disease pa.
4 million cases of Hepatitis A, 40,000 deaths pa.
ca. 3–5 million cholera cases;100K –120K cholera
deaths pa.
Health impacts in Coastal Communities.
• Algal blooms: ca. 60,000 cases of gastroenteritis and respiratory
disease from seafood (containing algal toxins) pa.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning, amnesic shellfish poisoning, Ciguatera.
• Drowning: ca. 372,000 people drown pa.
• Work-related deaths: 2000-2006, average annual fatality rate in USA 115 deaths per 100,000 fishermen. 3 times greater than the next most
dangerous occupation. > than 25 times that USA national average
across all workers.
• Recreation in estuarine and coastal areas: > 355,000 people injured
annually in recreational boating accidents, 40% of injuries require
medical treatment beyond simple first aid. In Europe, 14,000 - 47,000
injuries occur during water sports and boating every year.
•
Chemicals Pollutants in the Sea
• Pesticides (DDT, organophosphates, carbamates, etc.)
• Fertilizers (phosphates, nitrates)
• Industrial chemicals
- Heavy metals and metalloids.
- Organics (PCBs, PAHs, BPA, PFs, Dioxins, BFRs, Plastics).
- Nanomaterials.
• Pharmaceuticals (antibiotics, analgesics, cardiovascular
and respiratory drugs, contraceptive pills, chemotherapy agents, etc.
• Gases (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, etc.)
• Particulates
Global Chemical Production
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2016
1940
Chemical Pollutants and Contaminants
Lang, I.A, Galloway, T.S., Scarlett, A., Henley, W.E., Depledge, M.H.,
Wallace, R.B. and Melzer, D. (2008). Association of Bisphenol A
concentration with medical disorders and laboratory abnormalities in
adults. Journal of the American Medical Association, 300(11), 1303-1310.
Melzer D, Rice N, Depledge MH, Henley WE, Galloway TS 2010.
Association Between Serum Perfluoroctanoic Acid (PFOA) and
Thyroid Disease in the NHANES Study. Environ Health Perspect
:-. doi:10.1289/ehp.0901584
Dioxin TEQ levels by age: 4 studies
Men
Women
Millions
Patterson, ORGANOHALOGEN COMPOUNDS – Volume 66 (2004)
Benefits of New Technologies
Nanotechnology & the Life Straw
Plus thousands more!
e.g. Sunscreen, fuel additives, antiseptics, medicines, novel
electronics, paints, decontaminating of land, water
and air, fabrics...
Do some nanomaterials pose new threats
to coastal ecosystems and human health?
How would we know?
N.B. San Francisco Bay
Pharmaceuticals and the Ageing Demographic
Antimicrobial Resistance:
An emerging threat in marine environments?
• Coastal waters receive sewage discharges and agricultural runoff.
• Antimicrobial agents present in increasingly large amounts in coastal
waters.
• Derived from medical use (~40%) and veterinary Use (~60%)
• Low AM concentrations select for resistant strains (bacteria, viruses, fungi)
• Are people likely to become contaminated? (Florida studies)
• Does this result in AMR infections?
Pathogen Pollution
16 November 2012
Resistance to antibiotics is one of
the greatest threats to modern health,
experts say.
The chief medical officer, Prof Dame
Sally Davies, said: "Antibiotics are
losing their effectiveness at a rate
that is both alarming & irreversible,
posing a threat similar to global
warming”.
Depledge, M.H. Nature, Vol. 478, 6th Oct. 2011. p36
May, 2009.
c [email protected]
Oh damn!
was that
today?
Climate change, pollution and coastal seas
• Climate change alters local environmental conditions including
temperature, salinity, oxygen concentrations and pH
(acidification).
• Climate change influences the bioavailability of environmental
pollutants (persistence, toxicity, transformations)
• Climate change influences the distribution and lifecycles of
organisms – and hence the pollutants that they come into
contact with.
Societal issues and
political decision
making
Interconnections
in Marine
Integrated impacts
of the
Environment
& Health
Oceans
on Human
Health
Human
Human population
population
pressure
pressure
Toxic
Toxic chemicals
chemicals
&
& particles
particles
Environmental
Environmental
&
& ecosystem
ecosystem
degradation
degradation
Natural
Natural
Events
Events
Loss
Loss of
of food
food
resources
resources
SocioSocioeconomic
economic
factors
factors
Adverse
Adverse impact
impact on
on
human
human health
health
HABs
HABs &
&
pathogens
pathogens
Emerging
Emerging
pathogens
pathogens
All in the context of climate change
Modified from Moore, M.N. Depledge, M.H. et al. 2012, Microbial Ecol.
Poverty-disease
Poverty-disease
nexus
nexus
Do the treatment of diseases and the pursuit of
health require different approaches?
HEALTH
Healthy Diet
Physical Activity
Time in Nature
Lifestyle choices
Interventions by
Socio-cultural
Public Heath Agencies
environment.
Avoidance and
mitigation of
pathogen threats
Avoidance of natural &
anthropogenic hazards.
DISEASE
Surgery
Pharmaceuticals
Chemotherapy
Radiotherapy
Immunotherapy
Transplantation
Fertility treatment
Gene therapy
Gene editing
etc.
Done by you
Done to you
Related to
Environmental Quality
Environmentally
damaging
The unexpected value of the Oceans.
Addressing the Obesity and
Mental Health Epidemics
Women - 37-57%
Men - 51-69%
Eurostat 2010
1 in 4 people
What can coastal areas do for you?
•
•
•
•
•
Increased energy use (standing, walking, running,
etc.).
Mental stimulation (reduced risk of psychiatric
disorders, improved sense of wellbeing).
Long term motivation and beneficial habits.
Increased social cohesion.
Something EVERYONE can do.
Blue Gym…Blue Health
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq44KhBSgQA
Sailing
Rockpool rambles
Health and Wellbeing
from the Environment
Coastal walks
Surfing
Kayaking
Swimming
Diving
Does living by the sea improve your health and wellbeing?
B. Wheeler, M. White, W. Stahl-Timmins and M.H. Depledge, 2012 .
Oceans, Health and the Economy
• Children who live within 500 m of accessible blue/green
space are 24 per cent more likely to meet recommended levels
of physical activity.
• Reducing the sedentary population by just 1 per cent could
reduce UK morbidity and mortality rates valued at £1.44 billion
Future Challenges……
•
How can we assemble a consensus view of how to
manage, protect and develop European oceans
and human health over the next 20 years?
•
What should be the role of
European marine and health
experts in identifying
managing emerging threats
and opportunities?
What are the major research
questions that we should address in the
short term (5years) and the longer term
(5-20years)?
• Global population – decreasing after 2050.
• Technological advances that can reduce pollution.
• Improvements in aquaculture and land use that can deliver
more food.
• Conservation strategies that can protect and restore marine
biodiversity and sustainable estuarine ecosystems.
• Greater understanding of marine ecosystems that will provide
new insights and reveal new ways to use renewable resources.
• Identification of policy co-benefits that improve cost
effectiveness of actions.
• Recognition that marine environments offer huge
opportunities for improving human health and wellbeing in
harmony with sustainable ecosystems.
“There is no wealth but life”
To support environment and health
research please contact:
[email protected]
John Ruskin
1819 - 1900