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Respiratory Problems Associated with Surfing in Coastal Waters

EcoHealth volume 14, pages 40–47 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

A pilot project was conducted to examine the health status and possible adverse health effects associated with seawater exposure (microbial water-quality indicators and phytoplankton abundance and their toxins) of surfers in Monterey Bay, Central California coastal waters. Forty-eight surfers enrolled in the study and completed an initial health background survey and weekly health surveys online using Survey Monkey. Descriptive statistics and generalized estimating equation, a regression technique, were used to identify longitudinal and correlated results. The surfers were predominately Caucasian, male, and physically active. They surfed approximately 4 h a week. Their average age was 34 years. The data indicated that the surfers were generally “healthy,” with a low prevalence of diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. Their most common health problems were allergies and asthma. During the study, 10% of the surfers reported gastrointestinal symptoms and 29% reported upper respiratory symptoms. This study suggests surfers were significantly more likely to report upper respiratory symptoms when they had a history of allergies, housemates with upper respiratory symptoms, and/or a history of previous adverse health symptoms while surfing during a “red tide” (an event often associated with the presence of phytoplankton toxins). Additionally, female surfers reported upper respiratory symptoms more than males.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. Healthy Oceans, Healthy People, P.O. Box 7566, Santa Cruz, CA, 95061, USA

    Chris O’Halloran

  2. Ocean Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

    Mary W. Silver

  3. Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Maureen Lahiff

  4. Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

    John Colford Jr.

Authors
  1. Chris O’Halloran
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  2. Mary W. Silver
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  3. Maureen Lahiff
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  4. John Colford Jr.
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Correspondence to Chris O’Halloran.

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O’Halloran, C., Silver, M.W., Lahiff, M. et al. Respiratory Problems Associated with Surfing in Coastal Waters. EcoHealth 14, 40–47 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-016-1197-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-016-1197-6

Keywords

  • Upper respiratory symptoms
  • Surfers
  • Red tides