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Photo by REED HUTCHINSON
Environmental engineer Jennifer Jay picks up a sample of beach sand. She found more fecal indicator bacteria in the surf of sheltered beaches than those open to the ocean. |
Sand may be harmful to your health
BY AARON SMITH
UCLA Today
When you take the kids to the beach this summer, you may have more than just riptides and turbulent waves to worry about. Danger to your children may be lurking right under their feet.
The news that beach sand may contain contaminants emanates from a recent study by researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science who tested the sediments in the surf, the hard-packed sand that’s under the frothy, churned-up water at the beach’s edge.
The study found fecal indicator bacteria there. Scientists typically test for this type of bacteria to determine the quality of water at beaches because it is both a proxy and a source for other microorganisms that can pose serious health risks.
While local health officials test for fecal indicator bacteria in the water daily, they don’t sample what’s in the surf — where people, particularly kids, tend to spend more time. The study raises the troubling possibility that while the water at certain beaches could be declared safe for swimming, unhealthy bacteria could remain undetected in the surf. More troubling still, researchers found much higher levels of fecal indicator bacteria at sheltered beaches in Marina del Rey and Cabrillo than at beaches open to the ocean such as Dockweiler, Malibu’s Surfrider, Manhattan and Venice beaches, among others.
The irony is that sheltered beaches, such as Mother’s Beach in Marina Del Rey, are favorite swimming spots that parents seek out as safe places for their kids to play.
Civil and Environmental Engineering Assistant Professor Jennifer Jay, who conducted the study with graduate student Christine Lee, advised parents not to panic. The research, while raising questions, doesn’t make a direct link between the bacteria and health issues, she said.
To explore these implications further, Jay’s team plans a second study this month, pending funding. “The next step is to look at viruses in the enclosed beaches and compare them to the open beaches,” said Jay, who was one of 20 faculty nationwide to receive this year’s Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
In the meantime, the mother of 2-year-old twins said, “I take my kids to the beach all the time. But I haven’t taken them to the enclosed beaches.”
Jay will be giving a public lecture on “Santa Monica Bay Beaches — What You Need to Know About Harmful Bacteria in the Sand” May 24 in 6764 Boelter Hall. A reception starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by the lecture at 7:15 p.m. To attend, RSVP online at www.engineer.ucla.edu and look under upcoming events. Or call (310) 206-0678.
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