Red tide warnings posted at several Sarasota County beaches
Tests of water samples collected at several area beaches Dec. 26 by the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County showed elevated levels of red tide.
As a result, red tide warnings will be posted at seven area beaches: Longboat Key, Bird Key/ Ringling Causeway, North Lido, South Lido, Siesta Key, Turtle and Nokomis, health officials said Wednesday afternoon.
The announcement reflected a reappearance of the toxic algae late this year that had abated last week, when the center of a bloom that has plagued Sarasota County for weeks moved north and became more concentrated along the Pinellas County coast and Gulf of Mexico waters near Tampa Bay.
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The red tide bloom initially took hold off Sarasota County in late October and has caused fish kills on the shoreline this month.
According to a health department release about the latest water samples, some people may have mild and short-lived respiratory symptoms from exposure to the red tide, including eye, nose, and throat irritation, like those associated with the common cold or seasonal sinus allergies.
Some individuals with existing breathing problems, such as asthma, might experience more severe effects.
Usually, symptoms stop when a person leaves the beach or goes indoors.
Health officials recommend that people who are sensitive to red tide or experiencing symptoms avoid the beach or go into an air-conditioned space.
If symptoms do not subside, contact your healthcare provider for evaluation.
The department makes the following recommendations:
• Do not swim around dead fish.
• If you have chronic respiratory problems, consider staying away from the beach as red tide can affect your breathing.
• Do not harvest or eat molluscan shellfish and distressed or dead fish. If fish are healthy, rinse fillets with tap or bottled water and throw out the guts.
• Keep pets and livestock away from water, sea foam and dead sea life.
• Residents living in beach areas who experience respiratory symptoms are advised to close windows and run the air conditioner (ensuring that the A/C filter is maintained according to the manufacturer's specifications).
• If outdoors, residents may choose to wear paper filter masks, especially if onshore winds are blowing.
Florida Poison Control Centers have a toll-free 24/7 Hotline for reporting illnesses, including health effects from exposure to red tide at 1-888-222-1222.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Elevated red tide algae levels found at 7 Sarasota County beaches
