In the winter, even when the traps are out of the water and the boat is in the yard, a lobsterman’s work continues. Trap repair, buoy painting and line cleaning and splicing occupy much of a fisherman’s winter hours, and much of this work is conducted in the close confines of small workshops. Such places keep fishermen and gear out of the bitter winds and snow, and often are a welcome environment for both work and winter socializing. But as much of a haven as these workshops can be for winter work, their air can also harbor potentially harmful concentrations of particulates and chemicals released by the various work activities.
A recent study undertaken by the town doctor on Vinalhaven Island has investigated the air quality in a number of these lobster gear workshops, and has exposed a possible link between the air quality and winter respiratory ailments among fishermen.
Dr. Rick Donahue has served as Vinalhaven’s doctor for the past nine years, and counts among his patients a number of lobstermen. Island fishermen command some of the richest lobster bottom in the state, and the community has one of the highest percentages of fishermen in the winter population of any town. Lobstering is a way of life on the island, and for many fishermen, hardened to working outside in any weather and carrying on despite illness, respiratory ailments or coughing were also just a way of life in the winter. Over the years Donahue noticed that fishermen seemed to suffer more from bothersome coughs and persistent nasal congestion, although it was difficult to notice the effect right away in the usual wintertime environment of viral illnesses. A comment from a patient that “working around the dry rope hair seemed to worsen the symptoms” raised his curiosity about the health of these environments. Fishermen seemed to have these symptoms even when no general viral or bacterial symptoms existed in the general population.
In the winters of 2002 and 2003, Donahue, together with Ann Backus of the Harvard School of Public Health, and with financial support from the same institution, set out to explore what sort of contaminants were present in the air of the winter workshops. Choosing five workshops, they outlined the airflow patterns, utilized sophisticated electronic air testing equipment and documented the reported effect on respiratory function of the fishermen. They found that the workshops often had a dusty, potentially dangerous mix of chemicals coming from a number of sources, including ultra fine particulates containing algal endotoxins released from cleaning old rope that had been used the previous season, carcinogenic exposure from the fumes created by the use of anti-fouling, oil-based paints on pot buoys, volatile chemicals from the heat branding of the Styrofoam pot buoys, and smoke from the burning of polyethylene rope ends. In fact, the air testing of the dry rope dust found up to 70 times the normal levels of endotoxins, a known lung irritant and allergen, which was considered a highly toxic level. The endotoxin comes from the cell walls of microscopic marine bacteria growing on dry rope algae, and released when the algae dries out and is shaken loose in working the line. The burning of Styrofoam buoys and rope ends produced polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons now known to enter the bloodstream and even cross the blood-brain barrier, with unknown health effects. Interestingly, air quality was worse in newer, more airtight shops than in older, naturally ventilated buildings. This mix of chemicals can lead to both short-term and long-term health effects, including general respiratory irritation, mucus buildup, burning and watering of the eyes, an increased risk for infection, and potentially a long-term increase in risk of cancer.
Donahue has proposed several easy ways to reduce exposure to these workshop toxins, starting with the simple expedient of opening the doors and windows while working. Additional recommended practices include utilizing equally effective latex paints for buoys, doing the dry rope work and cleaning out of doors, leaving the shop when the fumes are coming from paint drying, and through the use of a simple vent or hood for painting, with a small fan, similar to those utilized in kitchens, chemical labs or paint booths. Dr. Donahue also points out that the pot buoy numbers can be painted on and not branded, and hog ring clamps can be used instead of burning rope.
The part of the study documenting of the levels of the toxins is complete, and the project will next address the question of exposure and reported respiratory symptoms over a larger scale. There are an estimated 7,000 shops like this in Maine, and Donahue wants to document how serious this problem is amongst the larger industry. A questionnaire will be available at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum, and Donahue welcomes any input and public comment on this issue. Findings from this study were presented at the 2nd Maine Occupational Safety and Health Research Symposium last May 22, and at the University of New England Environmental Health Conference held at the College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford on Oct. 24.
A former marine resources staff member at the Island Institute, Ben Neal is a student at the University of New England.