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Red tide near residential beaches: Impact of Red tide in Florida, U.S.A.

Anna Knight

Department of Health Services, University of North Florida

HSC 4210: Environmental Health

Dr. Emily Moore

October 25, 2021

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Red Tide

Red tide, also known as harmful algal bloom, is caused when algae colonies grow

uncontrollably and start to produce toxins, like brevetoxins, in the water, which eventually make

their way into the air as well (US Department of Commerce, 2013). Not all algal blooms are

harmful, as some actually benefit the ecosystem by supplying food for animals living in the

ocean. But, red tides have been studied for many years and recently seem to be occurring more

often in every coastal state within the United States.

Hazard Identification

Red tide, especially that occurs along the Florida’s Gulf Coast seem to be the most

harmful and effective in damaging the health of humans that live, work, and visit these areas.

People that live and/or work in coastal areas in Florida, such as beaches like Siesta, Lido,

Nokomis, and Coquina tend to get the most exposure to this health hazard the most frequently

(Backer, et al., 2005; Kirkpatrick, et al., 2011). Red tide does not usually occur near the shore,

but instead it travels in from offshore, near the west Florida shelf, located in the Gulf of Mexico

(Hoagland, et al., 2014). In order for an individual to be affected by red tide, toxins must be

either inhaled or ingested. This can occur through air and sea spray in or near coastal areas or

through eating shellfish from Florida’s coastal waters (Backer, 2009; Kuhara et al., 2009).

Although research is constantly being conducted in order to understand how exactly red tide

toxins effect human health, it has been reported that those living and working both in and near

areas around the coast of Florida complain about irritation within both their upper and lower

respiratory due to aerosol exposure of these toxins (Fleming, et al., 2005). Based on the few

studies done, it is understood that not only can respiratory symptoms arise from exposure to

toxins from red tide, but also acute and chronic respiratory illnesses, along with digestive human
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illnesses (Kirkpatrick, et al., 2006; Hoagland, et al., 2014). Once a person is exposed to red tide

through inhalation, symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, along with eye and respiratory

irritations can occur almost immediately (Kuhar, et al., 2009). People with asthma seem to have

worse effects that also develop quicker than those without asthma. For example, asthmatics are at

a much higher risk for developing respiratory symptoms and illnesses through inhalation, as well

as develop pneumonia and bronchitis more frequently if exposed to red tide (Kirkpatrick, et al.,

2011).

Dose-Response Assessment

People are all affected by red tide differently, as the amount needed to cause negative

health effects and the time it takes to develop these effects depend on the individual and their

health history. It could take up to two hours to develop symptoms if you consume seafood

contaminated by red tide (Vermes, 2019). On the other hand, in some cases, individuals may not

even experience any symptoms until 24 hours after consumption if it is non-lethal (Vermes,

2019). Some symptoms of ingesting red tide toxins can include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.

When it comes to direct contact, such as irritation on the skin, eyes, or nose, it simply depends on

the person and their history to these types of skin irritations. Some may be affected almost

immediately, while some may not notice any related symptoms until hours or days after coming

into contact with the toxins. When it comes to inhalation of red tide toxins, it has been noted that

people with asthma can start to develop symptoms as soon as one hour after exposure to these

airborne toxins (Kuhar, et al., 2009).

Exposure Assessment

Red tide, or harmful algal bloom, is a natural phenomenon that does not necessarily occur

consistently and can vary in its intensity (Zohdi and Abbaspour, 2019. Red tide can be caused
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either due to human activities or simply natural elements changing. Human activities that

contribute to red tide include various elements entering coastal waters due to runoff from

industrial, urban, or agricultural areas, an intense increase of foods in aquaculture pools,

discharge from ships ballast waters, ships themselves, sewage, and offshore structures (Zohdi

and Abbaspour, 2019). Natural contributors to red tide can include differentiation in water

surface temperatures, changes in water salinity, turbulence, vitamins, wind, dust storms, etc.

(Zohdi and Abbaspour, 2019). All of these factors, whether being human related or naturally

occurring, play a role in how frequent a person can be exposed to red tide and the intensity in

which toxins prevail. Depending on the intensity of these factors, red tide may last up to only a

couple weeks or can even last for months, all during which people living, working, or visiting

these coastal areas may be affected by this human health hazard.

Risk Characterization

As red tide has been transpiring for decades, it is still being researched, observed, and

studied in order to fully understand all of the human health risks associated with it. Different

people are affected differently, based on how long they have been exposed to red tide, how often

they are exposed, the magnitude they are exposed to, and their overall health history. There is

still only little research that has been done to date that analyzes and evaluates human health risks

due to Florida red tide (Hoagland, et al., 2014). As stated early, the most common symptoms and

risks involved with people who do not have underlying respiratory issues and become exposed to

red tide through inhalation/direct contact include coughing, sneezing, eye irritation, and

respiratory symptoms that can be both acute and sub-chronic (Fleming, et al., 2011; Kuhar et al.,

2009). On the other hand, if ingested, individuals may experience neurotoxic shellfish poisoning

(NSP) from shellfish that have been exposed to red tide (Fleming, et al., 2011). But, if person’s
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do have underlying respiratory issues/diseases, such as asthma, respiratory symptoms and

decreases in respiratory function may occur, along with respiratory health effects, both acute and

sub-chronic, such as development of asthma, bronchitis, and/or pneumonia (Fleming, et al.,

2011). Everyone has the potential to be affected by red tide, but people that are 55 and older

seem to experience more health effects of red tide, along with asthmatics that are at higher risk

for developing respiratory symptoms through inhalation (Hoagland, et al., 2014; Kirkpatrick, et

al., 2011). Even with the little research done, it is understood that both the respiratory system and

digestive system seem to be infected at least with acute symptoms if exposed to red tide.

Risk Management

Based on the little research done and the learning still need to be done on red tide human

health effects, there are some precautions individuals can take to minimize, or prevent, this

hazard from harming human health. For starters, it has been recommended that during times of

active red tide in Florida, people with underlying respiratory illnesses and those with asthma

should try staying no less than 1-2 miles away from the coast or rather inside with the air

conditioning on and closed windows (Fleming et al., 2005a; Kirkpatrick et al., 2010). By

individuals taking precautions to avoid or lessen the interaction with the aerosol toxins due to red

tide, they are able to reduce the chances of respiratory system illnesses and symptoms. Other

steps, such as notifying the public of red tide are taken, such as signs posted on beaches when red

tide is present in the area or in surrounding waters, allow people to know whether or not to avoid

going to the beach. One system that is put into place in Sarasota, Florida, The Beach Conditions

Reporting System, is an online and telephone system that provides information from life guards

and beach managers about issues that are beach-related, such as dead fish and people

experiencing respiratory irritation, from right then and there (Fleming, et al., 2011). This is a
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great way to reach the public and provide information before they even get the chance to be

exposed to red tide in the air. People who live in or around areas that are subject to being

infected with red tide toxins can also get testing done in order to check their overall health, as

well as their respiratory health, as they should anyways, which would allow for health

practitioners to be aware of any symptoms or issues that could be related to red tide, helping

prevent chronic or further respiratory illness/disease. Other than preventing individuals from red

tide and the harmful human health effects that we are still not completely sure of, actions can

also be taken to avoid red tide in general. Some examples of this include decreasing industrial,

urban, and agricultural sewage, reducing the salinity, controlling/reducing ships’ ballast waters

and oil spills at sea, etc. (Zohdi and Abbaspour, 2019). By reducing the human contribute to red

tide, the risks of red tide on human health is also reduced, allowing people that live, work, or

visit coastal areas in Florida to have a better respiratory health. Red tide and its human health

effects need to be studied more in order to get a full and true understanding of what they are

capable of, and so we can inform the public of what the consequences are of red tide and how to

prevent it.
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References

Backer, L. C., Kirkpatrick, B., Fleming, L. E., Cheng, Y. S., Pierce, R., Bean, J. A., Clark, R.,

Johnson, D., Wanner, A., Tamer, R., Zhou, Y., & Baden, D. G. (2005). Occupational

exposure to aerosolized brevetoxins during Florida red tide events: Effects on a healthy

worker population. Environmental Health Perspectives; Environ Health Perspect, 113(5),

644-649. https://10.1289/ehp.7502

Backer, L. C. (2009). Impacts of florida red tides on coastal communities. Harmful Algae, 8(4),

618-622. https://https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2008.11.008

Fleming, L. E., Backer, L. C., & Baden, D. G. (2005). Overview of aerosolized florida red tide

toxins: Exposures and effects. Environmental Health Perspectives; Environ Health

Perspect, 113(5), 618-620. https://10.1289/ehp.7501

Fleming, L. E., Kirkpatrick, B., Backer, L. C., Walsh, C. J., Nierenberg, K., Clark, J., Reich, A.,

Hollenbeck, J., Benson, J., Cheng, Y. S., Naar, J., Pierce, R., Bourdelais, A. J., Abraham,

W. M., Kirkpatrick, G., Zaias, J., Wanner, A., Mendes, E., Shalat, S., . . . Baden, D. G.

(2011). Review of florida red tide and human health effects. Harmful Algae; Harmful

Algae, 10(2), 224-233. https://10.1016/j.hal.2010.08.006

Hoagland, P., Jin, D., Beet, A., Kirkpatrick, B., Reich, A., Ullmann, S., Fleming, L. E., &

Kirkpatrick, G. (2014). The human health effects of florida red tide (FRT) blooms: An

expanded analysis. Environment International, 68, 144-153.

https://http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2014.03.016
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Kirkpatrick, B., Fleming, L. E., Backer, L. C., Bean, J. A., Tamer, R., Kirkpatrick, G., Kane, T.,

Wanner, A., Dalpra, D., Reich, A., & Baden, D. G. (2006). Environmental exposures to

florida red tides: Effects on emergency room respiratory diagnoses admissions. Harmful

Algae; Harmful Algae, 5(5), 526-533. https://10.1016/j.hal.2005.09.004

Kirkpatrick, B., Fleming, L. E., Bean, J. A., Nierenberg, K., Backer, L. C., Cheng, Y. S., Pierce,

R., Reich, A., Naar, J., Wanner, A., Abraham, W. M., Zhou, Y., Hollenbeck, J., & Baden,

D. G. (2011). Aerosolized red tide toxins (brevetoxins) and asthma: Continued health effects

after 1h beach exposure. Harmful Algae, 10(2), 138-143.

https://https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2010.08.005

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Pederson, B. A., Fleming, L. E., Reich, A., Naar, J., Kirkpatrick, G., Backer, L. C., &

Baden, D. (2010). Inland transport of aerosolized florida red tide toxins. Harmful Algae,

9(2), 186-189. https://https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2009.09.003

Kuhar, S. E., Nierenberg, K., Kirkpatrick, B., & Tobin, G. A. (2009). Public perceptions of

florida red tide risks. Risk Analysis; Risk Anal, 29(7), 963-969. https://10.1111/j.1539-

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US Department of Commerce. (2013, June 1). What is a red tide? NOAA's National Ocean

Service. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/redtide.html.
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Vermes, K. (2019, October 12). Is red tide harmful to humans? what to know. Healthline.

Retrieved October 30, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/is-red-tide-harmful-

to-humans#takeaway.

Zohdi, E., & Abbaspour, M. (2019). Harmful algal blooms (red tide): A review of causes,

impacts and approaches to monitoring and prediction. International Journal of

Environmental Science and Technology (Tehran), 16(3), 1789-1806.

https://10.1007/s13762-018-2108-x