Humans’ abuse of oceans ultimately risks our health

This time last year, I was on the open ocean serving as medical officer on a traditional-style Polynesian voyaging canoe sailing from New Zealand to Tahiti. Our stalwart captain charted a southern route to capture the most reliable yet fierce winds. We were well away from any shipping lanes, the seas were high and the wind brisk. The majesty of the great ocean revealed itself in each moment and reminded the crew how minuscule and incidental we are to the grand scheme. The deep sea seemed infinite and indomitable.

This past week Honolulu Harbor and Keehi Lagoon saw 233,000 gallons of molasses spill through corroded pipes while en route from storage tanks to Matson ships, which regularly take material from Hawaii’s last sugar plantation to the mainland for processing. The gradual degradation of the molasses pulls oxygen out of the sea water, causing the reef life to suffocate. The spill will take weeks to be dispersed by the tides. In the meantime, thousands of fish will die. Those that survive may not be safe for human consumption. The dead fish attract scavengers such as barracuda and sharks.

Meanwhile, the Hawaii Tourism Authority is working to control damage to the visitor industry.

The globe is still feeling the aftershocks of Japan’s 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster at Fukushima. Some reports say there has been no elevation of radiation levels in Hawaii waters since the disaster, which caused core meltdowns at three reactors in the Fukushima plant.

However, other reports say fish in the coastal waters off Fukushima have been shown to contain cesium-134, a radioactive isotope that decays rapidly. This indicates that the toxic leak has likely continued. Models of the oceans’ movements suggest that the waters from Fukushima could come to Hawaii in 2015. Although they will be highly diluted, they may come with modest elevations of radiation. There are also concerns about the safety of food grown in some areas of Japan as well as fish caught off Japanese waters for export.

Mounting levels of mercury in the oceans from burning of petroleum products also is a global problem. I routinely check mercury levels of patients who eat fish, especially ahi and marlin, more than twice per week. Approximately half are elevated. Levels high enough to cause severe nervous system problems are extremely rare, but mild elevations are common and concerning.

The Pacific Gyre, also called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, was amassed from coastal rubbish carried by currents traveling along the North Pacific Rim. Tragically, while plastic never fully breaks down, the bits become small enough to mimic plankton. Both fish and birds mistakenly ingest the material then suffer from blocked digestion, malnutrition and toxicity from plastic chemicals.

The oceans are not indomitable and, despite their grandeur, are buckling under the abuse by industry and governments. Anytime our ecosystem is disrupted, human health is endangered. If we do not better manage our fisheries, there will be no fish to eat. The ones that survive could be tainted by radiation, with plastic in their bellies and mercury in their flesh, and some will now be starved of oxygen because of molasses.

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Ira Zunin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is medical director of Manakai o Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com.