1. Massachusetts Department of Public Health Harmful Algae Bloom Project: Update on 2013 Season Michael Celona, Chief, Water Toxics Unit Environmental Toxicology Program MDPH/Bureau of Environmental Health

2. Outline Health Surveillance Environmental Surveillance Education and Outreach Press Inquiries Questions?

3. Program Activities: Health Surveillance Active Health Surveillance – Visited 5 waterbodies with an existing advisory – Interviewed 14 individuals present Most reported not going into water Four reported recent water contact with no negative effect Passive Health Surveillance – Mail-drops When conducting active health surveillance, letters were mail-dropped to area residences informing them of advisory, potential health concerns, and MDPH contact info – Website information HAB website: www.mass.gov/dph/beaches List of current HAB advisories Pamphlets Posters Presentations

4. Program Activities: Environmental Surveillance 110 water samples were collected by MDPH at 18 waterbodies and analyzed by contract laboratory. – Samples conducted for two types of activities: 1) routine collection at selected waterbodies and 2) rapid collection in response to reports of HABs. An additional 58 water samples were collected and analyzed by MassDEP and private consultants and submitted to MDPH for review. Based on a review of these data, MDPH recommended 14 separate advisories based on cell counts > 70k per ml.

5. Program Activities: Environmental Surveillance

6. Program Activities: Education and Outreach Presentations – Massachusetts Health Officer Associations meetings Four regional locations Reached over 200 local health officials – Joint EPA-New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission regional workshop on HABs – Monponsett Pond Working Group Working Group comprised of local and state officials and environmental groups Monponsett Pond is a complex waterbody (in terms of management) that has lengthy HABs MDPH HAB brochures – Distributed to local health official and residents

7. Program Activities: Responding to Press Inquiries

8. Questions? Michael Celona mike.celona@state.ma.us (617) 624-5757