[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 39 (Thursday, March 25, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S3176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    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.

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