HAZARDS TO DIVERS IN POLLUTED WATERS 



Kelly Cunningham and Rita R. Colwell 



Department of Microbiology 



University of Maryland 



College Park, MD 20742 



INTRODUCTION 



Obvious examples of exposure of divers to chemical and 

 microbiological pollutants include underwater repair or 

 construction in sewage outfalls, chemical disposal tanks or 

 nuclear reactors. Divers participating in research studies may 

 enter polluted waters to place animals for bioaccumulation 

 studies or tidal gauges for hydrographic studies. Pollutants 

 encountered by divers derive from a wide variety of sources, 

 including sewage treatment plants, industrial waste outfalls, 

 agricultural and urban runoff, and waterway spills of petroleum 

 products. Phoel (1981) cited an incident which occurred in 1980 

 involving an explosion at the Elizabeth, New Jersey chemical 

 waste storage site. Approximately 20,000 55-gallon drums 

 containing acids, solvents, pesticides, explosives and 

 carcinogens were destroyed and the contents of the drums washed 

 into the Bayonne Bay, along with the water used to fight the 

 fire. This is an extreme example; however, the total number of 

 chemical spills into the nation's waterways each year is 

 estimated at 15,000 (Tejada, 1985). In addition to chemical 

 pollution, hazards also include bacteria, viruses and protozoans 

 which enter waterways with human sewage disposal. 



It has often been assumed that pollutants entering a water 

 system are diluted and dispersed. As a consequence, little 

 consideration has been given to the effects of pollutants on 

 divers. Pennella, (1981) described the common medical problems 

 faced by Navy divers to be ear and eye infections, infected cuts 

 and gastrointestinal infections, but he also notes, with respect 

 to diving in hazardous waters, "To date the operational diver has 

 been ill-equipped to work in this environment." 



DIVER CONTAMINATION 



Several studies have been carried out to investigate the 

 contamination of divers during diver operations. Coolbaugh et 

 al . (1981) reported results from the assessment of bacterial 

 contamination of divers during exercises in Norfolk, VA, Seattle, 

 WA, and New York, NY. Sampling at the NOAA Atlantic Marine 

 Center, Norfolk, VA, included 16 divers who wore four different 

 combinations of diving gear: standard neoprene foam wet suit 

 with standard mask (SCUBA); Unisuit with AGA full-face mask; 

 Unisuit with Superlight-17 hood/mask; and Unisuit with Kirby- 

 Morgan helmet. Before and after each dive, divers' nose, throat, 



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