A microbiologist who warned the South Portland City Council that the public may be sickened by sand contaminated with dog feces at Willard Beach lashed out Monday at a task force that questioned his findings.

Dr. Robert Bogosian of Cape Elizabeth alleges that South Portland City Councilor Claude Morgan, who heads the Willard Beach task force, made false statements to the media about his background and reputation.

“He said I have suspect credentials and I don’t know anything. This is defamatory. I’m meeting with my attorneys,” said Bogosian, who recently submitted a report stating he found E. coli bacteria in sand samples at Willard Beach.

Morgan said publicly that Bogosian – whose name and health products are sold on several e-commerce Web sites – “is peddling fear” and questioned the motives for the report.

Bogosian said Morgan – who previously headed the South

Portland Dog Owners Group – is out of line with his comments. “For a guy in the public sphere, he should have more sense than to open his mouth like that,” Bogosian said.

Morgan did not return calls for comment.

Bogosian prepared a report, titled “A Major Public Health Issue on Willard Beach in the Summer,” stating that E. coli bacteria were found in dry sand he sampled on June 25.

“Make no mistake about it, this is a PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE and it needs to be addressed,” states the six-page report Bogosian prepared.

Bogosian, who submitted his report to the Council on July 22, described dogs on Willard Beach as “a major public health issue.” He wrote, “Don’t be swayed by people who say dog feces and urine on the beach is not a health hazard. It is.”

The Council has debated for several months whether to alter or end pet access to the city’s most popular beach, after some beachfront homeowners complained of safety concerns caused by unruly pets and health risks from dog droppings.

The Council is now awaiting recommendations from a special Willard Beach task force of residents and city leaders who are researching the issue.

Chris Kessler, speaking for DOG, said he is “not concerned about the findings of the study as they are not seen as legit by the Task Force.” DOG members have urged the city not to change pet access to Willard Beach.

Bogosian heads two Portland companies, Global Biotechnologies and the New England Institute for Infection and Immunity.

Global Biotechnologies makes and sells products including hand sanitizers to prevent and minimize the spread of infection and illness. Bogosian markets products on Web sites that include TravelGerms.com, BirdFluBlocker.com, BirdFluBarrier.com and BirdFlu911.com.

His hand sanitizer, called Microsan, claims to combat germs that cause E-coli as well as athlete’s foot, tuberculosis, jock itch, food poisoning and influenza.

Bogosian described the Web sites as informational. Bogosian said he was not hoping to sell or call attention to his products when he tested sand samples at Willard Beach and reported his findings to the Council.

“I already get enough business,” said Bogosian, whose resume lists a doctorate degree in microbiology. “My company sells products to the federal government and Centers for Disease Control. Our products are in the national stockpile for (combating) infectious diseases. They are used in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

Bogosian added that no one asked or paid him to sample and test the beach sands for E. coli bacteria. He said he prepared the report as a public service.

Bogosian did acknowledge a relationship with Dan Labrie, a chief critic of pet access on Willard Beach. But he said that it is unrelated to his work as a microbiologist.

Bogosian noted that his two companies are located in a Portland building on York Street that is owned by Rufus Deering Lumber, where Labrie is general manager.

Bogosian said he and Labrie have met several times but never discussed the topic. “I simply know him as a landlord.”

Assistant City Manager Erik Carson said Monday that the Willard Beach task force reviewed the report by Bogosian. He noted that “a number of generalizations were made (in the report) that the data could not substantiate.”

Carson, who facilitates the task force, said questions were raised by task force member Douglass Howell, a Portland gastroenterologist, and Jim Jones, who manages the city’s waste water treatment system.

“Both had significant concerns with the methodology and results,” Carson said.

According to task force minutes, Jones reported that lifeguards collect samples twice weekly along the beach and analyze them for unhealthy levels of E. coli. He said the rates are generally low and do not pose a public health risk.

Jones stated that he is not aware of any health problems resulting from dog feces on the beach.

Howell, a task force member, said it would be rare for disease to pass from dogs to humans. He said a sand sample testing positive for E. coli is less of a concern than the levels, or concentration, of bacteria.

“You’re living with E. coli all around you,” Howell told fellow task force members.

Bogosian said Monday that Howell is entitled to his medical opinion. “Keep in mind, though, that I am the microbiologist. I’m not questioning how he does colonoscopies or sigmoidoscopies.”

Bogosian argued that, “E-coli is not the only contaminant found in feces but it is a common indicator. There are other organisms in feces, and when you have a break in a wound or an infected cut, it could be a problem.”

Bogosian noted that the federal Centers for Disease Control has a section on its Web site titled “Healthy People, Healthy Pets,” which identifies health risks from coming in contact with dog feces.

“Dogs can carry a variety of germs that can make people sick,” according to the public health Web site. “Some people are more likely than others to get diseases from dogs. People who are more likely to get diseases from dogs include infants, children younger than 5 years old, organ transplant patients, people with HIV/AIDS, and people being treated for cancer.”

“This should not be a political issue. It is a public health issue,” Bogosian added. “The state doesn’t allow dogs on state beaches and most towns don’t… Most E. coli comes from animal feces.”

Dr. Kathy Gensheimer, Maine’s epidemiologist, said she is not familiar with the debate in South Portland on the health risks of dogs at Willard Beach.

But Gensheimer said she is aware that many municipalities have begun to regulate pet access to beaches for safety as well as health reasons.

Gensheimer said that while it is impossible to make a public beach as sanitary as a hospital, she said that removing dog droppings from beaches will mitigate health risks to humans.

Gensheimer noted that young children often put their hands in their mouths after playing in the sand. She said that ingesting fecal matter can pose a risk to people.

Bogosian also said that he sees health risks from kids being exposed to dog droppings and then putting their hands in their mouths. He also noted health risks to people with cuts or open sores, if they come in contact with dog droppings on the beach.

“I made a simple report,” Bogosian added. “I put it out there. I have no dog in this fight. There are people on that advisory committee shooting at me with all kinds of false statements.”