The Ocean: Next Wave in Health Care
VIDEO (Coming Soon)
The ocean produces 75 million tons of seafood per year, feeds more than 3.5 billion people, generates more than 50 percent of the oxygen we breathe, and regulates the planet’s climate. Just being near it can improve human health, and its depths have yielded everything from novel medications to the secrets of the human nerve system. Yet we continue to use the ocean as a dumping ground and act as if its resources were unlimited.
“We are taking for granted everything the ocean is providing us. We’re just assuming it’s going to be there forever, and that’s not very smart,” said environmentalist Nicolas Ibargüen, publisher of PODER magazine, during panel session titled “Out of the Blue: Catching the Next Wave in Health Care,” at the University of Miami Global Business Forum, held Jan. 12–14, 2011.
 |
|
Panelists (L-R) Nicolas Ibarguen, Publisher, PODER
|
The ocean provides opportunities to fight disease, promote human health and improve well-being, said Michael H. Depledge, interim director of the European Centre for Environment and Human Health at the Peninsula Medical School in Devon, U.K. One promising area is pharmaceuticals, with Depledge providing two recent examples: a potent anti-cancer drug derived from the Caribbean sea squirt, and a possible treatment for cystic fibrosis from the Florida red tide toxin.
“Many of the major discoveries about human health and well-being are being made using marine animal models,” Depledge said. For instance, researchers learned how nerves work in human beings by studying squid, and various agents used today in bone marrow transplants were derived from animal models.
Depledge also noted that as people have moved away from more rural areas and into cities, their health has declined. Living near green or coastal areas contributes to quality of life and a sense of well-being. People living in coastal zones are 23 percent less likely to be sedentary than non-coastal dwellers, he said, 27 percent are more likely to report levels of activity, and 38 percent are more likely to report high levels of activity.
Experiencing the ocean also has a positive effect on mental health and obesity. “By 2030, depression and psychiatric disorders will be in the top three of the diseases facing mankind on every continent on the planet,” Depledge said, citing figures from the World Health Organization.
Promoting activities typical of marine and coastal environments is one way to get people more active. With that in mind, the Centre for Environment and Human Health created The Blue Gym, a campaign and research program designed to facilitate people’s engagement with water through swimming, sailing, kayaking, coastal walks and rock pool rambles. “When people engage in these activities, they keep doing them,” Depledge said. More research is needed to determine if people who participate actually spend less time visiting physicians and use fewer medications.
At the same time, researchers have new concerns about the stress being placed on our oceans. “Our impact on the oceans come back to haunt us in terms of the impact on human health,” said physician Lora Fleming, director of the European Centre for Environment and Human Health. She cited compromised drinking water, threats to fisheries, agricultural dangers and infectious diseases such as dengue fever, which has been found in the Florida Keys for two years in a row. These threats come from sewage, pollutants such as the pesticide DET that get into the marine food chain, and nanotechnology — tiny particles found in items like lotions and medical devices that seep into the marine environment. Because ground fish is used in many animal feeds, these types of pollution affect nearly everyone, not just those who directly consume seafood.
Clearly, there are far-reaching environmental reasons for companies and governments to treat the ocean better. But there are also financial reasons. “Our company’s business depends on the ocean,” said Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. He is also a UM trustee and a longtime collaborator with the Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science. He expressed concerns about overfishing, by-catch and pollution. Proactive steps Royal Caribbean has taken include installing solar panels and ducktails on ships to save energy and addressing waste management. “On average, a person [onboard a cruise ship] generates about four and a half kilograms of waste a day,” he said. “By compacting it, containing it, reducing the amount of waste we generate on a ship, that’s down to one and a half kilos.” However, the U.S. Public Health Service expressed objections to the compacting plan, citing concerns over bacteria growth, so Royal Caribbean came up with the idea of freezing the waste to slow any growth. “We have the coolest garbage around,” Fain noted. “There are solutions if you look for them.”
