Forum 

case of monarchs, traditional wintering sites 

in California and Mexico have been converted by development, deforestation, or agriculture. Thus, tens of millions of monarchs are 

restricted to 10 sites in Mexico (5 of them 

unprotected by regulations) and only 7 

remaining sites in California. The butterflies 

are not yet endangered, but a major part of 

their life cycle is in jeopardy. 

Outreach in elementary schools has 

improved the public's appreciation of bats. 

And BCI is working with mining companies to convert abandoned mines into roosts 

for hibernating bats, creating a human-animal partnership with mutual benefits. "This 

is a very important part of bat ecology," says 

French. "We protect [both] the bats and 

people with gates at the mine entrances. It 

gives a habitat for bats, and helps give mines 

a more positive image." 

Pollinators may also benefit from the 

move toward more "natural" gardens in private homes that demand less pesticide use, 

as well as a 1994 Executive Memorandum 

issued by President Clinton that recommends the use of regional native plants, 

which often evolved with their pollinators 

in a mutually beneficial relationship, and 

integrated pest management, which features 

reduced use of pesticides on federal and federally funded properties. And science is 

beginning to do its part to protect pollinators, as well. In a paper published in the 

February 1998 issue of Conservation Biology, 

Nabhan, Bitner, Inouye, and 19 other coauthors propose supporting animal pollinator 

services by promoting alternative pollinators, encouraging crop breeders to consider 

pollinator attraction in new varieties, preserving pollinator stocks, and researching 

ways of increasing pollination and creating 

pollinator habitats in agricultural areas. 

Melanoma Vaccines 

Researchers are making significant progress 

in developing innovative treatments for 

melanoma, a form of malignant skin cancer 

that is on the rise in the United States, 

according to the American Cancer Society. 

Melanoma begins in the melanocytes, the 

cells that produce the skin pigment called 

melanin. Researchers believe that exposure 

to ultraviolet light damages the DNA in 

these cells, which results in the development 

of melanoma. 

Scientists have been working for years to 

develop vaccines that treat melanoma by 

stimulating the immune system to attack 

cancer cells. The body does not ordinarily 

attack melanoma cells because such cells are 

case of monarchs, traditional wintering sites 

in California and Mexico have been converted by development, deforestation, or agriculture. Thus, tens of millions of monarchs are 

restricted to 10 sites in Mexico (5 of them 

unprotected by regulations) and only 7 

remaining sites in California. The butterflies 

are not yet endangered, but a major part of 

their life cycle is in jeopardy. 

Outreach in elementary schools has 

improved the public's appreciation of bats. 

And BCI is working with mining companies to convert abandoned mines into roosts 

for hibernating bats, creating a human-animal partnership with mutual benefits. "This 

is a very important part of bat ecology," says 

French. "We protect [both] the bats and 

people with gates at the mine entrances. It 

gives a habitat for bats, and helps give mines 

a more positive image." 

Pollinators may also benefit from the 

move toward more "natural" gardens in private homes that demand less pesticide use, 

as well as a 1994 Executive Memorandum 

issued by President Clinton that recommends the use of regional native plants, 

which often evolved with their pollinators 

in a mutually beneficial relationship, and 

integrated pest management, which features 

reduced use of pesticides on federal and federally funded properties. And science is 

beginning to do its part to protect pollinators, as well. In a paper published in the 

February 1998 issue of Conservation Biology, 

Nabhan, Bitner, Inouye, and 19 other coauthors propose supporting animal pollinator 

services by promoting alternative pollinators, encouraging crop breeders to consider 

pollinator attraction in new varieties, preserving pollinator stocks, and researching 

ways of increasing pollination and creating 

pollinator habitats in agricultural areas. 

Melanoma Vaccines 

Researchers are making significant progress 

in developing innovative treatments for 

melanoma, a form of malignant skin cancer 

that is on the rise in the United States, 

according to the American Cancer Society. 

Melanoma begins in the melanocytes, the 

cells that produce the skin pigment called 

melanin. Researchers believe that exposure 

to ultraviolet light damages the DNA in 

these cells, which results in the development 

of melanoma. 

Scientists have been working for years to 

develop vaccines that treat melanoma by 

stimulating the immune system to attack 

cancer cells. The body does not ordinarily 

attack melanoma cells because such cells are 

case of monarchs, traditional wintering sites 

in California and Mexico have been converted by development, deforestation, or agriculture. Thus, tens of millions of monarchs are 

restricted to 10 sites in Mexico (5 of them 

unprotected by regulations) and only 7 

remaining sites in California. The butterflies 

are not yet endangered, but a major part of 

their life cycle is in jeopardy. 

Outreach in elementary schools has 

improved the public's appreciation of bats. 

And BCI is working with mining companies to convert abandoned mines into roosts 

for hibernating bats, creating a human-animal partnership with mutual benefits. "This 

is a very important part of bat ecology," says 

French. "We protect [both] the bats and 

people with gates at the mine entrances. It 

gives a habitat for bats, and helps give mines 

a more positive image." 

Pollinators may also benefit from the 

move toward more "natural" gardens in private homes that demand less pesticide use, 

as well as a 1994 Executive Memorandum 

issued by President Clinton that recommends the use of regional native plants, 

which often evolved with their pollinators 

in a mutually beneficial relationship, and 

integrated pest management, which features 

reduced use of pesticides on federal and federally funded properties. And science is 

beginning to do its part to protect pollinators, as well. In a paper published in the 

February 1998 issue of Conservation Biology, 

Nabhan, Bitner, Inouye, and 19 other coauthors propose supporting animal pollinator 

services by promoting alternative pollinators, encouraging crop breeders to consider 

pollinator attraction in new varieties, preserving pollinator stocks, and researching 

ways of increasing pollination and creating 

pollinator habitats in agricultural areas. 

Melanoma Vaccines 

Researchers are making significant progress 

in developing innovative treatments for 

melanoma, a form of malignant skin cancer 

that is on the rise in the United States, 

according to the American Cancer Society. 

Melanoma begins in the melanocytes, the 

cells that produce the skin pigment called 

melanin. Researchers believe that exposure 

to ultraviolet light damages the DNA in 

these cells, which results in the development 

of melanoma. 

Scientists have been working for years to 

develop vaccines that treat melanoma by 

stimulating the immune system to attack 

cancer cells. The body does not ordinarily 

attack melanoma cells because such cells are 

roughly 99% normal, says Philip 

Livingston, head of the cancer vaccinology 

laboratory at Memorial Sloan-Kettering 

roughly 99% normal, says Philip 

Livingston, head of the cancer vaccinology 

laboratory at Memorial Sloan-Kettering 

roughly 99% normal, says Philip 

Livingston, head of the cancer vaccinology 

laboratory at Memorial Sloan-Kettering 

Cancer Center in New York City. 

Researchers have sought to identify the differences that explain why some cells turn 

cancerous. "We've spent many years in the 

laboratory trying to define and isolate the 

genetic elements and the genes that code for 

what is different on a cancer cell compared 

to a normal cell that the immune system 

can recognize," says Steven Rosenberg, chief 

of surgery at the National Cancer Institute 

(NCI). 

Livingston refers to these characteristic 

elements of cancer cells, which include proteins and antigens, as "handles." Researchers 

developing melanoma vaccines replicate 

these handles and combine them with 

immune boosters, or substances that the 

immune system recognizes and attacks. 

Theoretically, linking the handles with substances known to elicit an immune response 

will prompt the body to seek out all handles 

and therewith eliminate the cancer cells. 

Although the practical application of such 

vaccines is years away, scientists are making 

significant advances in the area. "This is a 

mammoth field," says Paul Chapman, an 

associate attending physician and head of 

the melanoma section at Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center. "There are many 

vaccines that are being tested, and all are 

equally promising." 

Researchers at Memorial SloanKettering are working on melanoma vaccines that contain one of three replicated 

chemicals-GM2, GD2, or GD3-that are 

located on melanoma cells and that have 

been found to be recognized by the 

immune system. The vaccines combine the 

chemicals with QS21, an immune booster 

from the South American soapbark tree, 

and KLH, an antigen produced by the mollusk Megathura crenulata. Early resultshow 

an improvement in survival rates in some 

patients. 

Rosenberg and colleagues at the NCI 

have chosen to work with cancer cell peptides that the immune system can recognize. 

They have modified the peptides so they 

can better bind to the immune cells-cytotoxic T lymphocytes-that attack 

melanoma cells. The modified peptides are 

then injected into the body. In a recent 

study published in the March 1998 issue of 

Nature Medicine, Rosenberg and colleagues 

reported that, when administered with 

interleukin-2, a medication that boosts the 

immune system to help slow the growth of 

cancer, the vaccine caused an immune system response. They also found that 13 of 31 

patients showed at least partial tumor 

shrinkage in the lung or skin, among other 

sites. 

Cancer Center in New York City. 

Researchers have sought to identify the differences that explain why some cells turn 

cancerous. "We've spent many years in the 

laboratory trying to define and isolate the 

genetic elements and the genes that code for 

what is different on a cancer cell compared 

to a normal cell that the immune system 

can recognize," says Steven Rosenberg, chief 

of surgery at the National Cancer Institute 

(NCI). 

Livingston refers to these characteristic 

elements of cancer cells, which include proteins and antigens, as "handles." Researchers 

developing melanoma vaccines replicate 

these handles and combine them with 

immune boosters, or substances that the 

immune system recognizes and attacks. 

Theoretically, linking the handles with substances known to elicit an immune response 

will prompt the body to seek out all handles 

and therewith eliminate the cancer cells. 

Although the practical application of such 

vaccines is years away, scientists are making 

significant advances in the area. "This is a 

mammoth field," says Paul Chapman, an 

associate attending physician and head of 

the melanoma section at Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center. "There are many 

vaccines that are being tested, and all are 

equally promising." 

Researchers at Memorial SloanKettering are working on melanoma vaccines that contain one of three replicated 

chemicals-GM2, GD2, or GD3-that are 

located on melanoma cells and that have 

been found to be recognized by the 

immune system. The vaccines combine the 

chemicals with QS21, an immune booster 

from the South American soapbark tree, 

and KLH, an antigen produced by the mollusk Megathura crenulata. Early resultshow 

an improvement in survival rates in some 

patients. 

Rosenberg and colleagues at the NCI 

have chosen to work with cancer cell peptides that the immune system can recognize. 

They have modified the peptides so they 

can better bind to the immune cells-cytotoxic T lymphocytes-that attack 

melanoma cells. The modified peptides are 

then injected into the body. In a recent 

study published in the March 1998 issue of 

Nature Medicine, Rosenberg and colleagues 

reported that, when administered with 

interleukin-2, a medication that boosts the 

immune system to help slow the growth of 

cancer, the vaccine caused an immune system response. They also found that 13 of 31 

patients showed at least partial tumor 

shrinkage in the lung or skin, among other 

sites. 

Cancer Center in New York City. 

Researchers have sought to identify the differences that explain why some cells turn 

cancerous. "We've spent many years in the 

laboratory trying to define and isolate the 

genetic elements and the genes that code for 

what is different on a cancer cell compared 

to a normal cell that the immune system 

can recognize," says Steven Rosenberg, chief 

of surgery at the National Cancer Institute 

(NCI). 

Livingston refers to these characteristic 

elements of cancer cells, which include proteins and antigens, as "handles." Researchers 

developing melanoma vaccines replicate 

these handles and combine them with 

immune boosters, or substances that the 

immune system recognizes and attacks. 

Theoretically, linking the handles with substances known to elicit an immune response 

will prompt the body to seek out all handles 

and therewith eliminate the cancer cells. 

Although the practical application of such 

vaccines is years away, scientists are making 

significant advances in the area. "This is a 

mammoth field," says Paul Chapman, an 

associate attending physician and head of 

the melanoma section at Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center. "There are many 

vaccines that are being tested, and all are 

equally promising." 

Researchers at Memorial SloanKettering are working on melanoma vaccines that contain one of three replicated 

chemicals-GM2, GD2, or GD3-that are 

located on melanoma cells and that have 

been found to be recognized by the 

immune system. The vaccines combine the 

chemicals with QS21, an immune booster 

from the South American soapbark tree, 

and KLH, an antigen produced by the mollusk Megathura crenulata. Early resultshow 

an improvement in survival rates in some 

patients. 

Rosenberg and colleagues at the NCI 

have chosen to work with cancer cell peptides that the immune system can recognize. 

They have modified the peptides so they 

can better bind to the immune cells-cytotoxic T lymphocytes-that attack 

melanoma cells. The modified peptides are 

then injected into the body. In a recent 

study published in the March 1998 issue of 

Nature Medicine, Rosenberg and colleagues 

reported that, when administered with 

interleukin-2, a medication that boosts the 

immune system to help slow the growth of 

cancer, the vaccine caused an immune system response. They also found that 13 of 31 

patients showed at least partial tumor 

shrinkage in the lung or skin, among other 

sites. 

Another promising vaccine has been 

developed by Donald Morton and colAnother promising vaccine has been developed by Donald Morton and colAnother promising vaccine has been developed by Donald Morton and colleagues at the John Wayne Cancer Institute 

in Santa Monica, California. Morton collected blood, tissue, and serum samples 

from melanoma patients for many years. 

Study of these samples enabled him to identify three cancer cell lines that provoke 

strong immune system responses. Morton is 

working on a vaccine that uses radiated 

melanoma cells containing many different 

handles combined with bacillus CalmetteGuerin, a known immune booster. Morton 

is currently conducting worldwide clinical 

trials on the vaccine. 

New Source of Fish Fears 

In the Snook Nook bait shop in Jensen 

Beach, Florida, snapshots of anglers holding 

up their prize catches attest to the rich 

bounty for which the adjacent Indian River 

is famous. A few yards from the shop, in a 

cramped trailer owned by the Florida 

Department of Environmental Protection 

(DEP), is another photographic testament 

to the Indian River's fish. These close-up 

shots show fish with bloody, open sores 

reminiscent of those associated with the 

toxic dinoflagellate Pfiesteriapiscicida. 

The sickened fish in the photos began 

appearing early this spring on the hooks of 

anglers fishing around the juncture of 

Florida's Indian and St. Lucie rivers, a 

brackish region known as the St. Lucie 

Estuary. At least 33 species of fish were 

affected. Although the lesions mimic those 

associated with the Pfiesteria outbreaks that 

have killed millions of fish in Maryland and 

North Carolina, the estuary apparently harbors a different culprit; nearly all the sickened fish in the estuary were found alive. 

Water samples revealed the presence of 

Cryptoperidiniopsis ("crypto"), one of 10 recognized Pfiesteria-like species of microalgae. 

Karen Steidinger, a senior research scientist, 

and Jan Landsberg, a research scientist, both 

of the DEP's Florida Marine Research 

Institute in St. Petersburg, first identified 

crypto in 1997 in water samples taken from 

St. John's River near Jacksonville. Like 

Pfiesteria, crypto is a heterotrophic dinoflagellate that feeds on microalgal prey. Crypto 

coexists with Pfiesteria in Maryland and 

North Carolina, but appears to live apart 

from any related species in Florida. 

Whether it's causing the ulcers in the St. 

Lucie fish, though, is not clear. Of the 

2,000 known species of dinoflagellates, 

about 65 have been shown to produce toxins. "There's no evidence [crypto] is toxic," 

leagues at the John Wayne Cancer Institute 

in Santa Monica, California. Morton collected blood, tissue, and serum samples 

from melanoma patients for many years. 

Study of these samples enabled him to identify three cancer cell lines that provoke 

strong immune system responses. Morton is 

working on a vaccine that uses radiated 

melanoma cells containing many different 

handles combined with bacillus CalmetteGuerin, a known immune booster. Morton 

is currently conducting worldwide clinical 

trials on the vaccine. 

New Source of Fish Fears 

In the Snook Nook bait shop in Jensen 

Beach, Florida, snapshots of anglers holding 

up their prize catches attest to the rich 

bounty for which the adjacent Indian River 

is famous. A few yards from the shop, in a 

cramped trailer owned by the Florida 

Department of Environmental Protection 

(DEP), is another photographic testament 

to the Indian River's fish. These close-up 

shots show fish with bloody, open sores 

reminiscent of those associated with the 

toxic dinoflagellate Pfiesteriapiscicida. 

The sickened fish in the photos began 

appearing early this spring on the hooks of 

anglers fishing around the juncture of 

Florida's Indian and St. Lucie rivers, a 

brackish region known as the St. Lucie 

Estuary. At least 33 species of fish were 

affected. Although the lesions mimic those 

associated with the Pfiesteria outbreaks that 

have killed millions of fish in Maryland and 

North Carolina, the estuary apparently harbors a different culprit; nearly all the sickened fish in the estuary were found alive. 

Water samples revealed the presence of 

Cryptoperidiniopsis ("crypto"), one of 10 recognized Pfiesteria-like species of microalgae. 

Karen Steidinger, a senior research scientist, 

and Jan Landsberg, a research scientist, both 

of the DEP's Florida Marine Research 

Institute in St. Petersburg, first identified 

crypto in 1997 in water samples taken from 

St. John's River near Jacksonville. Like 

Pfiesteria, crypto is a heterotrophic dinoflagellate that feeds on microalgal prey. Crypto 

coexists with Pfiesteria in Maryland and 

North Carolina, but appears to live apart 

from any related species in Florida. 

Whether it's causing the ulcers in the St. 

Lucie fish, though, is not clear. Of the 

2,000 known species of dinoflagellates, 

about 65 have been shown to produce toxins. "There's no evidence [crypto] is toxic," 

leagues at the John Wayne Cancer Institute 

in Santa Monica, California. Morton collected blood, tissue, and serum samples 

from melanoma patients for many years. 

Study of these samples enabled him to identify three cancer cell lines that provoke 

strong immune system responses. Morton is 

working on a vaccine that uses radiated 

melanoma cells containing many different 

handles combined with bacillus CalmetteGuerin, a known immune booster. Morton 

is currently conducting worldwide clinical 

trials on the vaccine. 

New Source of Fish Fears 

In the Snook Nook bait shop in Jensen 

Beach, Florida, snapshots of anglers holding 

up their prize catches attest to the rich 

bounty for which the adjacent Indian River 

is famous. A few yards from the shop, in a 

cramped trailer owned by the Florida 

Department of Environmental Protection 

(DEP), is another photographic testament 

to the Indian River's fish. These close-up 

shots show fish with bloody, open sores 

reminiscent of those associated with the 

toxic dinoflagellate Pfiesteriapiscicida. 

The sickened fish in the photos began 

appearing early this spring on the hooks of 

anglers fishing around the juncture of 

Florida's Indian and St. Lucie rivers, a 

brackish region known as the St. Lucie 

Estuary. At least 33 species of fish were 

affected. Although the lesions mimic those 

associated with the Pfiesteria outbreaks that 

have killed millions of fish in Maryland and 

North Carolina, the estuary apparently harbors a different culprit; nearly all the sickened fish in the estuary were found alive. 

Water samples revealed the presence of 

Cryptoperidiniopsis ("crypto"), one of 10 recognized Pfiesteria-like species of microalgae. 

Karen Steidinger, a senior research scientist, 

and Jan Landsberg, a research scientist, both 

of the DEP's Florida Marine Research 

Institute in St. Petersburg, first identified 

crypto in 1997 in water samples taken from 

St. John's River near Jacksonville. Like 

Pfiesteria, crypto is a heterotrophic dinoflagellate that feeds on microalgal prey. Crypto 

coexists with Pfiesteria in Maryland and 

North Carolina, but appears to live apart 

from any related species in Florida. 

Whether it's causing the ulcers in the St. 

Lucie fish, though, is not clear. Of the 

2,000 known species of dinoflagellates, 

about 65 have been shown to produce toxins. "There's no evidence [crypto] is toxic," 

says JoAnn Burkholder, an associate professor of botany and aquatic ecology at North 

Carolina State University in Raleigh, who 

in 1991 helped identify Pfiesteria. "We 

don't understand much about toxin prosays JoAnn Burkholder, an associate professor of botany and aquatic ecology at North 

Carolina State University in Raleigh, who 

in 1991 helped identify Pfiesteria. "We 

don't understand much about toxin prosays JoAnn Burkholder, an associate professor of botany and aquatic ecology at North 

Carolina State University in Raleigh, who 

in 1991 helped identify Pfiesteria. "We 

don't understand much about toxin proEnvironmental Environmental Environmental Health Perspectives Perspectives Perspectives ? Volume 106, Number 9, September September September 1998 A 425 
Forum 

duction in dinoflagellates." Whatever is 

plaguing the St. Lucie fish appears to act by 

destroying the protective mucous coat of 

the fish, inviting opportunistic bacterial and 

fungal infections. 

Burkholder, Steidinger, and other 

researchers are scrambling to determine 

whether crypto is indeed toxic, and to solve 

the mystery of the sickened fish. "It's 

extremely important from a public health 

perspective to know what's out there, what 

are its toxins and their effects," Steidinger 

says. Sometime this summer, researcher 

Peter Moeller, project leader for the marine 

biotoxins program at the National Ocean 

Service in Charleston, South Carolina, 

expects to have preliminary results of bioassays he's conducting to determine crypto's 

toxins. His findings should aid in understanding both crypto and its cousins. 

According to Daniel Baden, director of 

the NIEHS Marine and Freshwater 

Biomedical Sciences Center at the 

University of Miami in Florida, three toxins have been associated with Pfiesteria-like 

dinoflagellates-a lipid-soluble lethal 

toxin, a water-soluble suspected neurotoxin, and a dermonecrotic toxin. Baden speculates that lesions found on fish killed by 

Pfiesteria may actually be caused by crypto. 

"People have been working with mixed 

cultures," he says, "but because the organisms were differentiated only recently, we 

haven't had time to ascribe specific toxins 

to specific organisms." 

Some researchers hope to ward off 

future outbreaks by determining what 

caused an ancient species of microalgae to 

strike here and now. "We believe crypto has 

been here hundreds, maybe thousands of 

years," says DEP marine biologist Ann 

Forstchen. Four times over the last 20 years, 

the St. Lucie Estuary has suffered outbreaks 

of fish disease. Each followed unusually 

high discharges from the St. Lucie Canal 

into the St. Lucie River, in which the South 

Florida Water Management District flushed 

fresh water from Lake Okeechobee through 

the canal to prevent flooding. "There's an 

apparent causal relationship between massive discharges and the outbreak of ulcers," 

says Dan Haunert, a lead scientist with the 

South Florida Water Management District. 

Nutrient runoff into the canal is believed to 

promote microalgal growth while the force 

of the discharges is thought to push the 

growth up from the bottom sediment. 

Although studies are incomplete, crypto 

appears to have little, if any, effect on 

humans. Two months into the St. Lucie 

outbreak, the Florida Department of Health 

had received fewer than two dozen complaints from people who suspected they had 

duction in dinoflagellates." Whatever is 

plaguing the St. Lucie fish appears to act by 

destroying the protective mucous coat of 

the fish, inviting opportunistic bacterial and 

fungal infections. 

Burkholder, Steidinger, and other 

researchers are scrambling to determine 

whether crypto is indeed toxic, and to solve 

the mystery of the sickened fish. "It's 

extremely important from a public health 

perspective to know what's out there, what 

are its toxins and their effects," Steidinger 

says. Sometime this summer, researcher 

Peter Moeller, project leader for the marine 

biotoxins program at the National Ocean 

Service in Charleston, South Carolina, 

expects to have preliminary results of bioassays he's conducting to determine crypto's 

toxins. His findings should aid in understanding both crypto and its cousins. 

According to Daniel Baden, director of 

the NIEHS Marine and Freshwater 

Biomedical Sciences Center at the 

University of Miami in Florida, three toxins have been associated with Pfiesteria-like 

dinoflagellates-a lipid-soluble lethal 

toxin, a water-soluble suspected neurotoxin, and a dermonecrotic toxin. Baden speculates that lesions found on fish killed by 

Pfiesteria may actually be caused by crypto. 

"People have been working with mixed 

cultures," he says, "but because the organisms were differentiated only recently, we 

haven't had time to ascribe specific toxins 

to specific organisms." 

Some researchers hope to ward off 

future outbreaks by determining what 

caused an ancient species of microalgae to 

strike here and now. "We believe crypto has 

been here hundreds, maybe thousands of 

years," says DEP marine biologist Ann 

Forstchen. Four times over the last 20 years, 

the St. Lucie Estuary has suffered outbreaks 

of fish disease. Each followed unusually 

high discharges from the St. Lucie Canal 

into the St. Lucie River, in which the South 

Florida Water Management District flushed 

fresh water from Lake Okeechobee through 

the canal to prevent flooding. "There's an 

apparent causal relationship between massive discharges and the outbreak of ulcers," 

says Dan Haunert, a lead scientist with the 

South Florida Water Management District. 

Nutrient runoff into the canal is believed to 

promote microalgal growth while the force 

of the discharges is thought to push the 

growth up from the bottom sediment. 

Although studies are incomplete, crypto 

appears to have little, if any, effect on 

humans. Two months into the St. Lucie 

outbreak, the Florida Department of Health 

had received fewer than two dozen complaints from people who suspected they had 

been harmed by been harmed by contact contact with the river 

water. "We haven't seen a 

clear association between 

exposure and illness," says 

epidemiologist Alan 

Rowan. "[People are] 

reporting various symptoms and they've had a 

wide range of exposures, 

from one day to five years. New water worries. 

There may be alternative be causing sick fishexplanations." 

As freshwater discharges dropped off in 

April, so did the number of diseased fish 

brought to the DEP's trailer outside the 

Snook Nook Scientists believe the fish disease event may have run its course. But 

Forstchen expects it to return, just as she 

expects the periodic return of unseasonably 

heavy rains. "I don't think we'll be in a position to stop [outbreaks]," she says, "but we 

may be able to predict when they'll happen." 

clear association between 

exposure and illness," says 

epidemiologist Alan 

Rowan. "[People are] 

reporting various symptoms and they've had a 

wide range of exposures, 

from one day to five years. New water worries. 

There may be alternative be causing sick fishexplanations." 

As freshwater discharges dropped off in 

April, so did the number of diseased fish 

brought to the DEP's trailer outside the 

Snook Nook Scientists believe the fish disease event may have run its course. But 

Forstchen expects it to return, just as she 

expects the periodic return of unseasonably 

heavy rains. "I don't think we'll be in a position to stop [outbreaks]," she says, "but we 

may be able to predict when they'll happen." 

Lasers for Lungs 

Lung cancer is one of the deadliest cancers 

in the United States, striking an estimated 

190,000 people and killing 160,000 annually. Smoking is the major cause of lung 

cancer worldwide, but asbestos, air pollution, and radon appear to contribute to this 

disease. By the time cancers of the lung 

become visible through conventional diagnostics, they frequently are too far advanced 

to treat successfully. Now, Xillix 

Technologies Corporation of Richmond, 

British Columbia, has developed a technology that allows much earlier diagnosis of 

these dangerous cancers, possibly helping to 

save lives. The device was approved by the 

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 

for use on lung cancers on 20 September 

1996. 

The lethal nature of non-small cell lung 

cancer (NSCLC) lies largely in the fact that, 

by the time the tumor becomes visible to 

the oncologist, it has spread too widely to 

be successfully surgically removed or irradiated. Chemotherapy also has had very limited success against lung cancer. Sixty-five 

percent of stage I cancers, 50-55% of stage 

II cancers, and 30% of stage III cancers are 

cured. But most lung cancers are not caught 

until stage 3 or 4, says Tracy Lee Weigel, an 

assistant professor of surgery and director of 

the LIFE-Lung Bronchoscopy Program at 

the University of Pittsburg School of 

Medicine in Pennsylvania. For all those 

Lasers for Lungs 

Lung cancer is one of the deadliest cancers 

in the United States, striking an estimated 

190,000 people and killing 160,000 annually. Smoking is the major cause of lung 

cancer worldwide, but asbestos, air pollution, and radon appear to contribute to this 

disease. By the time cancers of the lung 

become visible through conventional diagnostics, they frequently are too far advanced 

to treat successfully. Now, Xillix 

Technologies Corporation of Richmond, 

British Columbia, has developed a technology that allows much earlier diagnosis of 

these dangerous cancers, possibly helping to 

save lives. The device was approved by the 

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 

for use on lung cancers on 20 September 

1996. 

The lethal nature of non-small cell lung 

cancer (NSCLC) lies largely in the fact that, 

by the time the tumor becomes visible to 

the oncologist, it has spread too widely to 

be successfully surgically removed or irradiated. Chemotherapy also has had very limited success against lung cancer. Sixty-five 

percent of stage I cancers, 50-55% of stage 

II cancers, and 30% of stage III cancers are 

cured. But most lung cancers are not caught 

until stage 3 or 4, says Tracy Lee Weigel, an 

assistant professor of surgery and director of 

the LIFE-Lung Bronchoscopy Program at 

the University of Pittsburg School of 

Medicine in Pennsylvania. For all those 

Cryptoperidiniopsis, a species of microalgae, may 

-and concerns for human health. 

Cryptoperidiniopsis, a species of microalgae, may 

-and concerns for human health. 

diagnosed with NSCLC, she says, the fiveyear survival rate is about 13-14%. 

The new technology, which Xillix calls 

the Lung Imaging Fluorescence Endoscopy 

bronchoscopic system, or LIFE-Lung, helps 

doctors detect lung cancers 1-2 years earlier 

than standard bronchoscopy, says Weigel. 

This can make all the difference in catching 

the disease in time. "We can [detect lung 

cancers] before they've broken through the 

basement membrane [of the lung], before 

they've gained access to the lymphatics and 

the bloodstream and develop the potential 

to metastasize," she says. 

The LIFE-Lung works according to simple principals. Tissue fluoresces when illuminated with laser light, but the autofluorescent properties of normal and malignant tissues differ. A physician uses the LIFE-Lung 

bronchoscope-a laser hooked to a flexible 

fiberoptic endoscope-to shine light onto 

the lungs through the fiberoptic imaging 

bundle of the scope. The fluorescence given 

off by the illuminated tissue is relayed back 

through a second imaging bundle and 

observed directy by the physician. With the 

LIFE-Lung, healthy lung tissue appears 

green and abnormal tissue appears red. In 

clinical trials, the LIFE-Lung was "171% 

more sensitive in picking up abnormalities 

than white light," says Harvey Pass, a professor of surgery and oncology at Wayne State 

University in Detroit, Michigan, and program director for the Barbara Ann 

Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit. A 

similar device, which uses a computer algorithm to distinguish between the subtle differences in the wavelengths of fluorescent 

light given off by normal and malignant tissues, is in development at Oak Ridge 

National Laboratory in Tennessee. 

Differential fluorescence does not 

replace biopsy, says Bergein F. Overholt, 

president of Gastrointestinal Associates in 

Knoxville, Tennessee, a company involved 

in the development of the Oak Ridge 

diagnosed with NSCLC, she says, the fiveyear survival rate is about 13-14%. 

The new technology, which Xillix calls 

the Lung Imaging Fluorescence Endoscopy 

bronchoscopic system, or LIFE-Lung, helps 

doctors detect lung cancers 1-2 years earlier 

than standard bronchoscopy, says Weigel. 

This can make all the difference in catching 

the disease in time. "We can [detect lung 

cancers] before they've broken through the 

basement membrane [of the lung], before 

they've gained access to the lymphatics and 

the bloodstream and develop the potential 

to metastasize," she says. 

The LIFE-Lung works according to simple principals. Tissue fluoresces when illuminated with laser light, but the autofluorescent properties of normal and malignant tissues differ. A physician uses the LIFE-Lung 

bronchoscope-a laser hooked to a flexible 

fiberoptic endoscope-to shine light onto 

the lungs through the fiberoptic imaging 

bundle of the scope. The fluorescence given 

off by the illuminated tissue is relayed back 

through a second imaging bundle and 

observed directy by the physician. With the 

LIFE-Lung, healthy lung tissue appears 

green and abnormal tissue appears red. In 

clinical trials, the LIFE-Lung was "171% 

more sensitive in picking up abnormalities 

than white light," says Harvey Pass, a professor of surgery and oncology at Wayne State 

University in Detroit, Michigan, and program director for the Barbara Ann 

Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit. A 

similar device, which uses a computer algorithm to distinguish between the subtle differences in the wavelengths of fluorescent 

light given off by normal and malignant tissues, is in development at Oak Ridge 

National Laboratory in Tennessee. 

Differential fluorescence does not 

replace biopsy, says Bergein F. Overholt, 

president of Gastrointestinal Associates in 

Knoxville, Tennessee, a company involved 

in the development of the Oak Ridge 

A 426 Volume 106, Number 9, September September 1998 ? Environmental Environmental Health Perspectives Perspectives