Project 1 is also making major contributions to the limited literature taking into consideration the environmental physiology of shellfish as a key determinant of toxin exposure risks to people. There are experimental, integrative organismal physiology experiments led by Co-Investigator Schram to characterize how Alaskan shellfish process toxins under different experimental conditions (e.g., temperature and pCO2).
 

Project 1 will generate some of the first evidence regarding the role of ocean acidification in potentially exacerbating environmental health disparities in the United States (e.g., by increasing shellfish toxin concentrations in Alaska). Despite being one of the major established environmental consequences of atmospheric CO2 emissions that drive climate change, ocean acidification’s public health implications have received limited attention. 49 For example, a review on the topic of ocean acidification and public health49 published in 2020 only identified one paper on ocean acidification impacts on paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins [increasing toxicity] that was specific to the East China Sea50 and therefore of unclear relevance to Alaska Native population risks. We are unaware of any social cost of carbon components that account for the public health harm from ocean acidification. The United States Office of Climate Change and Health Equity is focused on the impact of climate change on the populations of the United States, and to support its mandate there should be evidence coming from United States coastlines on ocean acidification impacts on toxin exposure risks; this Center will address that knowledge gap through research led by communities that face disproportionate risks of paralytic shellfish poisoning.