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Evolution of the Pfiesteria Scare
Pfiesteria Probe Intensifies.
Scores of scientists and medical researchers are seeking to answer perplexing questions about pfiesteria. Despite a new, authoritative study showing that pfiesteria harms people, scientists say what they don't know about the toxic microbe far outweighs what they do.
Pfiesteria Linked to Thinking Problems.
People heavily exposed to the fish-killing microorganism Pfiesteria piscicida can develop severe difficulties in learning and concentrating, according to new research. The problems go away in a few months, with cognitive ability returning to normal.
States Brace for New Fish Kills.
From the Middle Atlantic states to Florida, health officials are bracing for what some scientists say could be another rough year. That projection is also backed by Clinton administration officials, who are releasing a report warning that conditions favor more outbreaks of pfiesteria-like microbes around the country.
Lesions Seen On Fish on Eastern Shore.
Maryland monitoring crews found a small number of fish bearing lesions thought to be caused by the toxic microbe Pfiesteria piscicida on an Eastern Shore creek – a likely sign that another season of environmental ills around the Chesapeake Bay has begun, officials said.
EPA Official Faults Md. Pollution Controls.
A senior U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official criticized Maryland's water pollution safeguards yesterday and called for stricter rules to limit how much chicken waste poultry producers may dispose of on farmland.
Md. Accuses Tyson Of Dumping Waste.
Tyson Foods Inc., the largest poultry producer in the nation, dumps thousands of gallons of chicken waste daily on Eastern Shore fields in violation of Maryland's environmental laws, state officials said.
No Suburban Role in Chesapeake Plan.
For those who worry about the Chesapeake, herein lies a predicament: how to persuade suburbanites to moderate their visions of the ideal lawn so as to limit reliance on the fertilizers that wash into the water, fueling environmental ills such as oxygen-choking algae blooms and the toxic microbe Pfiesteria piscicida.
Md. Poultry Processor Will Pay $6 Million.
A major poultry processor on Maryland's Eastern Shore agreed to pay $4 million in federal fines and $2 million to curb chicken waste runoff in the state's waterways, the largest water pollution settlement in state history.
Legislature Okays Pfiesteria Bill.
Maryland's legislative leaders agreed to the nation's most comprehensive mandatory limits on the use of farm fertilizers, endorsing a bill aimed at protecting the Chesapeake Bay from pollutants believed to fuel the toxic microbe Pfiesteria piscicida.
Md., Va. Brace for Pfiesteria Outbreaks.
As a result of unusually warm waters and heavy winter rains carried by El Niño, scientists fear conditions are ripening for more Pfiesteria outbreaks this summer.
Votes Tell a Tale Of Two States.
Maryland and Virginia are neighbors on the Chesapeake Bay, but when it comes to finding ways to clean the waterway, they – or at least their governors – are oceans apart.
Lawmakers Pressured on Farm Pollution.
Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening is warning lawmakers that he will call them into a rare special session this summer -- on the eve of statewide elections -- if they do not adopt strict regulations on farm pollution intended to curb the toxic microbe Pfiesteria piscicida.
Maryland Adds Coastal Waterways to Pfiesteria Watch.
Maryland officials, outlining an intensified program to keep watch for outbreaks of Pfiesteria piscicida, said they will add coastal bays near Ocean City to the places they will monitor this year.
Perdue Enters Pfiesteria Debate.
James Perdue, chairman of the poultry empire which bears his name, traveled to Annapolis to defend the industry which has been blamed for causing the pfiesteria scare.
Governor Seeks Bay Protection.
Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening used his State of the State speech to call for new restrictions on fertilizer use.
Pfiesteria Spawns Conservation Funds.
Some believe Maryland's $200 million Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program is the first good thing to come out of the Pfiesteria scare.
Two in Va. Have Symptoms Suggestive of Pfiesteria.
Two people with extensive, daily exposure to the Pocomoke River were found to have symptoms associated with Pfiesteria. Doctors stopped short, however, of declaring a definitive link.
Pfiesteria Scare Wanes.
By November 1997, the Pfiesteria scare had begun to die down. Seafood sales had picked up and consumers seemed less concerned about potential health hazards related to the microbe.
Chicken Manure Targeted as Potential Pfiesteria Culprit.
The Maryland commission investigating Pfiesteria outbreaks called on the state to help reduce phosphorus flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Chicken manure, used by many farmers as fertilizer, was believed to be the main source of the phosphorus, which feeds the Pfiesteria microbe.
Maryland Seafood Sales Drop.
Fear of Pfiesteria frightened off seafood consumers through the fall of 1997. Restaurants and supermarkets put up signs assuring buyers that their seafood was not from Chesapeake Bay.
Glendening Scores Political Points From Pfiesteria.
Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening made the difficult decision to close part of the Pocomoke River after reports indicated that Pfiesteria present in the river's fish could be harmful to humans. That decision proved to be a political boon for the governor, whose popularity had recently flagged.
Pfiesteria Suspected in '87 Fish Kill.
Laboratory tests showed that a massive fish kill in 1987 may have been caused by Pfiesteria. The fish deaths, which had previously been attributed to a lack of oxygen in the water, had occurred in a river near Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Sick Fish Discovered in Rappahannock River.
Virginia officials announced that they had found fish with sores typical of Pfiesteria infection in the Rappahannock River.
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company |
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