A new report from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation links pollution to human health risks and calls on the federal Environmental Protection Agency to act now to reduce that pollution and the potential threats to human health.

Bad Water 2009, The Impact on Human Health in the Chesapeake Bay Region reports on the findings of leading researchers and examines case studies of individuals affected by bacteria and nitrates in well water. The report also examines health risks from harmful algal blooms as well as mercury pollution.

Reports of human infections from one especially dangerous species of bacteria, Vibrio, while still small in number are rising significantly in Virginia and perhaps in Maryland as well. Dr. Rita Colwell, a prominent researcher and director of the National Science Foundation from 1998-2004, believes nitrogen and phosphorus pollution is contributing to the problem.

The occurrence of other types of bacteria is so widespread that some health agencies are recommending that people avoid swimming after any substantial rain event.

"This is but another alarming outcome of EPA's 25-year failure to reduce pollution," said CBF President William C. Baker. "The fact that we even have to ask whether the waters of the Bay are safe for swimming is a national disgrace. The citizens of this region have a right to clean water. EPA has the obligation under the law to protect that right."

The report tells the Vibrio story through the eyes of a Virginia real estate agent and boater, who spent 10 days in the hospital fighting a Vibrio infection. Health department data show an increase in reported Virginia Vibrio infections from 12 in 1999 to 30 in 2008.

In Maryland reported cases rose from 18 in 2001 to 33 in 2008, but changes in reporting requirements that may have contributed to the increase. The state data do not indicate whether the infections came from the water or other sources, such as eating contaminated shellfish imported from other regions.

Beach closures due to other kinds of bacteria are a summer ritual around the Chesapeake Bay. But as Maryland resident Bernie Voith found out, you don't need a beach closure to get a serious bacterial infection. Voith was playing with his grandson in the Severn River four years ago and wound up in the hospital with a life-threatening bacterial blood infection caused by bacteria commonly found in both human and animal feces.

Although no official closure notices are issued, the Maryland and Virginia health departments and the EPA warn people against swimming after heavy rains. Where monitoring occurs at public swimming beaches the Maryland Department of Environment defends their monitoring processes, but Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researcher Dr. Thaddeus K. Gracyzk has concluded that more species of bacteria should be monitored and faster tests need to be utilized.

Another pollution-related human health issue highlighted in the report is elevated nitrate levels in drinking water wells. In 2007, the Thomas family from York County, Pennsylvania learned that their private well water contained more than twice the level of nitrates than EPA's maximum contaminant level for public drinking water.

Unfortunately, they are not alone. A variety of studies have been done in the Lower Susquehanna region, and results found that from 20-60 percent of the drinking water wells exceeded the federal nitrate limits.

Nitrates in ground water move into our rivers and the Chesapeake Bay, helping to fuel the growth of algae. A 2008 study by the U.S. Geological Survey looked at Mycroscystis blooms around the Bay and found that almost a third of the blooms contained toxins in levels sufficient to make the water unsafe for children to swim in.

Microscystis is not the only harmful algal species to be concerned about. Due to increased research, since 1996 the number of harmful algal species identified in the Bay has grown from 12 to 34.

Finally, the report looked at the impact of mercury pollution on fish consumption across the region. Mercury is a highly toxic chemical and can cause neurological disorders, especially to developing nervous systems. For that reason, fish consumption advisories have been issued for all Pennsylvania rivers and lakes, all Maryland lakes, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay, and 12 major river systems in Virginia.

"This report clearly identifies pollution related human health risks that need to be corrected," Baker said. "Does it mean that one should never swim in local rivers or the Bay? No. But the fact these problems exist, and that solutions are available, is an indictment of EPA's enforcement of the Clean Water Act and underscores why we filed a lawsuit to force change."

The report is available on CBF's website.