The Oceans and Human Health Act

March 25, 2004
THE OCEANS AND HUMAN HEALTH ACT

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I thank Senators MCCAIN and HOLLINGS and the members of the Commerce Committee for their leadership in moving the Oceans and Human Health Act, S. 1218. I also express my appreciation for their willingness to include Senator Levin's request and my request to ensure that this bill addresses the needs of the Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater bodies on earth, holding approximately 20 percent of the world's freshwater. While we all know that water is essential for our survival, scientists are only just beginning to appreciate the connection between human health and our waters. It takes approximately 198 years for the lakes to flush themselves. So a pollutant dropped into Lake Superior in Duluth-Superior Harbor in 1805-during the time of the Lewis and Clark expedition, Thomas Jefferson's presidency, and the organization of the Michigan Territory-would just now be exiting the water system this year. That means that these large bodies of water are holding much of what we have put into them following the Industrial Revolution.

Industrial development in the Great Lakes region resulted in bacterial contamination and floating debris, as well as the release of persistent organic pollutants, such as PCBs. By the 1950s, Lake Erie showed signs that there was a great imbalance in the Lake with massive algal blooms and depleted oxygen. These problems resulted in contaminated drinking water and polluted beaches, which contributed to epidemics of waterborne diseases, such as typhoid fever. More serious health problems were discovered years later when scientists began to understand that some of the nonbiodegradable chemicals would bio-accumulate in wildlife and in humans.

During the 1970s, Lake Erie was declared dead. It was at that time that significant legislative measures were put in place to control the pollution entering the Lakes, and for the last several years, the region has benefited from the great improvements to the quality of our water.

Until recently, many of us thought that the Great Lakes were well on their way to becoming drinkable, fishable, and swimable-goals of the United States/Canadian Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. However, today, we face new challenges. We now understand that our environmental problems are more than single-issue, cause and effect problems. Scientists must consider the entire ecosystem.

Over this past year, there are reports of unexplained botulism outbreaks on the Lakes, a rise in beach closures and swimming bans, and a new "dead zone" in Lake Erie. Additionally, the Lakes are being threatened by extremely challenging invasive species. People from the Great Lakes region are quite familiar with the more infamous invaders like the zebra mussel, sea lamprey, and Eurasian milfoil, but there are now over 160 nonindigenous aquatic species in the Great lakes with many others on their way. Invasive species are drastically changing the ecosystem and imperiling the health of the Great Lakes and the wildlife.

Though changes to the Great Lakes are not seen immediately, we know we can impact the Lakes, for better or for worse, through our management policies. As the Director of the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab said, "The one thing that we can predict with near certainty is that the Great Lakes ecosystem will continue to change and the challenges for effective use and management will only increase."

Because of the many challenges threatening the health of the Great Lakes and the health of the people who use the Lakes for their drinking water, fishing, or swimming, it is important to understand the link between our waters and human health. That is why we introduced the Oceans and Human Health Act. It would authorize the establishment of a coordinated Federal research program to aid in understanding and responding to the role of oceans in human health. The bill would establish a Federal interagency Oceans and Human Health initiative and create an Oceans and Human Health program at the Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA. The bill also would direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a coordinated public information and outreach program to provide information on potential ocean-related human health risks.

So, again, I thank Senator Hollings and Senator McCain for their efforts on this legislation and for accommodating my request and the request of my colleague, Senator Levin, to ensure that this legislation includes the Great Lakes. It is a good bill and will help us improve the quality of the Lakes and protect them for future generations.