Author and investigative journalist Rodney Barker talked about his book And The Waters Turned To Blood, about a massive fish die-off in North Carolina starting in 1991 which had returned every summer since, and was barely mentioned in the news, possibly due to state officials who wanted to avoid a panic and the effect on tourism. Barker described the culprit, the Pfiesteria piscicida bacteria, as the "cell from hell" and like something from a science fiction story.
He revealed that exposure can happen simply by swimming in waters where it is present. The toxin can also be inhaled, or if there is a cut on your skin, the organism can enter the bloodstream and as Barker pointed out, it "has an appetite for human blood." It can also result in open sores that don't heal, cognitive impairment, and immune system suppression, but we don’t fully understand all the health effects, he warned.
Barker described the discovery of the organism by Dr. JoAnn Burkholder and how she and her lab assistant began to have mysterious symptoms. They found that the Pfiesteria was releasing neurotoxins that became airborne. Barker revealed how the organism had been around for millions of years, and changing environmental conditions allowed it to flourish. He concluded, "if we continue to put population and pollution pressures on the coastal environment, we can expect more organisms like this to emerge as threats."