Please see beach sand reports and links below and attached. This is also an invitation to all of us to use the listserv to send additional reports or news articles about beach sand. Thank you. http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hsbact0719,0,3276660.story?coll=ny-main-tabheads2&track=mostemailedlink http://www.detnews.com/2005/macomb/0507/14/B05-246572.htm http://www.detnews.com/2005/macomb/0506/19/B05-220009.htm http://www.cleanbeaches.org/mediacenter/ Most recent... http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-6/112195871440260.xml&coll=6 New studies dig up health risk in beach sand Thursday, July 21, 2005 By Kathleen Longcore The Grand Rapids Press GRAND HAVEN -- Roy Rodriguez, of Grand Rapids, scooped sand out of a hole on the beach Wednesday while keeping an eye on his son and four nephews at Grand Haven State Park. They stayed out of the water after a health department advisory warned of high bacteria levels in the water at Grand Haven and at nearby Rosy Mound Recreation Area, a county park off Lakeshore Drive. Rodriguez didn't want to risk harm to his son, Roy Rodriguez Jr., 10, or his young nephews. They were avoiding the water by playing in the sand. Rodriguez didn't know there probably was more bacteria in beach sand than in the water. When no-swim advisories hit area beaches, the source of elevated bacteria often is a mystery. Sources can range from a storm-sewer overflow to an algae bloom in hot weather. Now, studies suggest another source of water contamination: beach sand. Scientists say the sand contains fecal material from seagulls and other water birds that foul the beach. The sand then contaminates the water that washes over it. Bacteria dissipates quickly in sunshine and moving water, so the high bacteria count found at Grand Haven and Rosy Mound on Monday had dropped enough to reopen both beaches today. But experts say warm, wet sand is a perfect incubator for bacteria, letting it thrive and multiply for weeks, even months. Now, studies around the Great Lakes are part of a national focus on beach sand as a source of water contamination. And Michigan is offering grant money for this emerging issue. A Lake Huron study in 2001-02 showed fecal bacteria in water-washed sand included E. coli, enterococci, shigella and salmonella, all of which can cause gastrointestinal illness. The study was part of the first national report to analyze bacteria in beach sand. "To make beaches healthier for the millions who visit each year, we must better understand whether contaminated sand may be the source of bacteria in swimming water," said Elizabeth Alm, a Central Michigan University microbiologist, in her contribution to the report. When they check lake water, testers look for Escherichia coli -- commonly called E. coli. This organism, found in fecal material, sickens 73,000 and causes 61 deaths each year in the United States. On beaches, children are especially at risk because they may ingest water or sand. The Environmental Protection Agency set standards for E. coli in water where people swim by determining how much bacteria is likely to make people sick, said Shannon Briggs, of the state's Department of Environmental Quality. In St. Clair County, Alm and her team found bacteria levels three to 17 times higher in sand along Lake Huron than in the water. Studies at Lake Michigan beaches in Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin had similar findings. It's not surprising, said Pat Mahoney, manager of environmental quality for Ottawa County. "Obviously, sand holds stool from birds. Then people traipse in and out of the water and carry that sand in with them," she said. In the summer, Ottawa County tests the water weekly at 17 parks along Lake Michigan, Lake Macatawa and several inland lakes, and posts the results on its Web site. Allegan County monitors water at four Lake Michigan beaches and five inland lakes. Kent County residents don't have access to that information. The county health department stopped doing water quality tests at nine lakes in late 2002 because of budget constraints. No one knows how big a health threat bird feces is to humans. But, a New York study found seagulls carry several harmful micro-organisms, including staphylococcus. And doctors say contaminated water causes skin rashes, eye and ear infections, hepatitis and respiratory infections. However, bacteria in the sand didn't concern Rodriguez. "These kids have been playing in the sand for a lot of years. The seagulls are always around. It is nothing new," he said. But Amber Arnett, of Lowell, didn't want to take a chance. When she learned of the water advisory, she pulled Brekin, 4, and Brielle, 2, out of the water. And when she heard the sand also might contain bacteria, she started stuffing towels in her beach bag. "We are leaving," she said. "I don't risk it with stuff like this, especially if it is in the sand, too." Press reporter Danielle Quisenberry contributed to this story. © 2005 Grand Rapids Press. Used with permission Copyright 2005 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.
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