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Pregnant Women Warned Against Lake Okeechobee Water Contact

Posted on: Thursday, 1 June 2006, 00:00 CDT

By Andy Reid, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

May 25--Pregnant women in Pahokee and South Bay should limit their exposure to water pumped from Lake Okeechobee, especially when it comes to bathing, because of concerns about potential birth defects, according to a federal review.

Using chlorine to treat lake water for drinking has long raised concerns about chemical byproducts that end up in the water and the effect of prolonged exposure.

New concerns raised by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry suggest that pregnant women inhaling water vapor during a shower or bath could increase the risk of birth defects, agency toxicologist David Fowler said.

The agency, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, calls for pregnant women to try to shower in rooms with exhaust fans or other forms of ventilation, Fowler said.

"It's kind of an unknown. People shouldn't panic. They should just reduce their exposure to be prudent until more is known," Fowler said.

Federal and county officials were quick to point out Wednesday that these new suggestions in a draft of a federal report were not cause for people to stop drinking, cooking with or bathing in water in South Bay or Pahokee.

In fact, the level of chemical byproducts have remained below federal standards since 2004. They had exceeded those limits in 2001.

Instead of just scary warnings, Pahokee Mayor J.P. Sasser said, the federal government should start delivering the money needed to address water-quality concerns.

Sasser blames the federal government for allowing pollution problems in Lake Okeechobee that lead to the chemical byproducts in the drinking water.

Sasser said the federal government has been unwilling to cover the remaining $29 million needed to help pay for a new water-treatment plant, which would fix water-quality concerns in South Bay and Pahokee. A recent $200,000 commitment from the federal government was not enough, Sasser said.

"The federal government, which I think has a large role in this, is slow in turning loose the dollars to address this," Sasser said. "They are just giving us chicken feed and they are playing games with our health."

Pahokee, South Bay and Belle Glade get their drinking water from Lake Okeechobee, but Belle Glade has a treatment process that allows the city to avoid health issues raised in the report.

The lake also serves as the primary backup water supply for all of southeast Florida, said Randy Smith, spokesman for the South Florida Water Management District.

Pahokee and South Bay treat lake water with chlorine to prevent disease from exposure to viruses and bacteria. But using chlorine to treat lake water laden with algae and other organic materials forms trihalomethanes, called THMs.

Long-term exposure to elevated levels of THMs could cause cancer or birth defects, Fowler said.

Improved water-treatment practices reduced THM levels in Pahokee and South Bay. Those chemical levels now get increased monitoring by local and federal health agencies.

"These are not new issues," Palm Beach County Health Department spokesman Tim O'Connor said. "We continue to monitor it."

What is new is the idea that inhaling the water vapor could pose more of a risk for pregnant women than ingesting the water, Fowler said.

A person's natural metabolism can remove THMs from water that is ingested, but inhaled water vapor could end up going straight to a fetus, Fowler said.

The new study, expected to be finalized this summer, recommends increased health education for residents and a study of health effects from the water, Fowler said.

"There's not a lot of information about that," Fowler said about the health effects of pregnant women inhaling the water. "We have concerns about that."

The new $52 million water plant being built to serve Pahokee, South Bay and Belle Glade will not be completed until 2008. Sasser wants more federal money to keep the project on track and to avoid leaving low-income Glades communities to pick up the tab.

Andy Reid can be reached at abreid@sun-sentinel.com or 561-228-5504.

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Copyright (c) 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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