Jason Surratt, Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering and Chemistry in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health on the potential health risks related to harmful algal blooms.
Jason Surratt’s lab is primarily focused on understanding how organic compounds that are emitted into the atmosphere get transformed as other air toxins. Emissions come from many sources, including natural organic compounds, wildfires, cars and manufacturing processes, and can change atmospheric composition in ways that have significant impact on public health and climate.
Supported by a new grant from the National Science Foundation, his lab will soon begin studying whether the compounds created by harmful algal blooms — a known water pollutant — react further in the atmosphere to create fine particulate matter that also pollutes the air.
What are the known health risks posed by harmful algal blooms, and what questions will this research answer?
We know that when a water source becomes heavily polluted with nutrients from urbanization or agricultural activity it facilitates the production of these species of algae that can then make the water unsafe by consuming a lot of the oxygen in the water. This can lead to mass fish deaths and render drinking water unsafe to drink. We also know that as algae are actively doing this intense photosynthesis in the water, they are creating volatile organic compounds that leech out into the atmosphere.
What we don’t know is whether the compounds released by harmful algal blooms can then transform into other organic compounds and fine particulate matter. The initial studies seem to suggest they can.
Our big question is, do the volatile organic compounds emitted by harmful algal blooms react further in the atmosphere to create things like PM2.5, or fine particulate matter? PM2.5 is a significant air pollutant, with tiny airborne particles smaller than the width of a human hair, and has been linked to health issues such as asthma, heart disease and even lung cancer
We will be tackling this question both in the lab and out in the field. First, we’ll conduct smog chamber experiments where we can mimic atmospheric reactions and record measurements. Then, we’ll spend six weeks at Ohio’s Grand Lake St. Marys, which has experienced sustained harmful algal bloom activity every summer for the past several years. Collecting air measurements in an area with significant harmful algal bloom activity will give us important insights into how big of a problem this may be in a real environment.
If we find that harmful algal blooms are leading to PM2.5 production, that could help prompt health studies to better understand related health threats. In the future, this work could also inform health advisories, for instance warning people to stay inside or to evacuate an area during a bloom event that could lead to inhalable PM2.5.
As told to Audrey Smith
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