Seafarer with solitary, well-functioning kidney - fit for service at sea without restrictions?

A 20-year-old, healthy man, who four years earlier had lost a kidney in a skiing accident, applied for a medical fitness certificate for service on board German flag vessels. Under reference to national and international regulations he was initially turned down, but attained permission to sail on appeal. We discuss the justification of denying persons with a single, well-functioning kidney the opportunity to work at sea, conclude that there is no good reason to refuse a fitness certificate, and propose to change national and international regulations accordingly.

Does air conditioning impact on hygienic quality of indoor air on seagoing vessels?

Background: According to observations by occupational health physicians, nearly 50 % of the seamen on German vessels will get diseases of the upper respiratory tract. An impact of the air-conditioning systems on these diseases has been suggested.

Objectives: To examine the hygienic quality of indoor air on seagoing vessels, a pilot study was initiated by the See-Berufsgenossenschaft.

Contamination of tap water on an ocean-going vessel.

The crew of a container vessel detected an aromatic odor of the tap water that was produced on board. As the origin of the contamination was not obvious, water was taken at different sampling sites of the water supply of the vessel. Samples were analyzed for occurrence of chemical substances by GC-MS.