Red tide and your lungs: what Naples residents should know
If you've walked a Naples beach during a red tide, you may have felt it: a scratchy throat, coughing and sneezing within minutes. Here's what's happening and how to protect yourself.
What is red tide?
Florida red tide is a bloom of a microscopic algae called Karenia brevis. It occurs naturally in the Gulf, most often in late summer and fall, and can sometimes last for months. The algae produce toxins called brevetoxins.
How it affects breathing
When waves break, they release brevetoxins into the air as tiny droplets, and onshore winds carry them inland. Breathing them in can cause:
- Coughing and sneezing
- Throat irritation
- Watery, itchy eyes
- Runny nose
- Wheezing and chest tightness
For most people, symptoms ease after they leave the beach or go indoors.
Who's most at risk
People with asthma, COPD or other chronic lung conditions can have more serious reactions, including flare-ups that last longer. If you have one of these conditions, avoid beaches during active red tide.
Checking conditions
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) publishes current red tide status and sampling maps at myfwc.com/redtidestatus.
- Mote Marine Laboratory's Beach Conditions Reporting System reports respiratory irritation, dead fish and water color at individual beaches at visitbeaches.org.
- Collier County also posts local beach advisories.
Protecting yourself
- Check conditions before heading to the beach.
- If you feel irritation, leave the beach and go indoors.
- At home, keep windows closed and run the air conditioning; an AC unit with a good filter helps.
- Bring your rescue inhaler if you have asthma, and follow your action plan.
- Don't swim near dead fish, and don't eat recreationally harvested shellfish from affected areas.
When to get help
See a doctor if symptoms persist after you've left the area, or if you have a lung condition and your breathing worsens. Call 911 for severe difficulty breathing.
See also: Asthma basics.