Health officials with Pinellas County issued a health warning Friday for anyone planning to head to local beaches because of increased red tide blooms.
“Some people may have mild and short-lived respiratory symptoms such as eye, nose, and throat irritation similar to cold symptoms,” said the alert. “Some individuals with breathing problems such as asthma might experience more severe symptoms. Usually symptoms go away when a person leaves the area or goes indoors.”
According to health officials, if you experience any of these symptoms, please avoid beach areas and find an air-conditioned space.
From the Department of Health:
• Do not swim around dead fish at this location.
• If you have chronic respiratory problems, be careful and consider staying away from this location as Red Tide can affect your breathing.
• Do not harvest or eat molluscan shellfish and distressed or dead fish from this location. If fish are healthy, rinse fillets with tap or bottled water and throw out the guts.
• Keep pets away from water, sea foam and dead sea life.
• Residents living in beach areas are advised to close windows and run the air conditioner (making sure that the A/C filter is maintained according to manufacturer's specifications).
• If outdoors, residents may choose to wear paper filter masks, especially if onshore winds are blowing.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, red tide has been reported all over Lower Tampa Bay, and along Pinellas County beaches, including Indian Shores, Redington Shores, Redington Beach and Pass-a-Grille.
While there’s certainly a trail of dead fishing leading to Piney Point, experts are holding off on declaring an exact cause of the toxic blooms. As WUSF reports, water quality tests have not showed a direct connection to the Piney Point wastewater spill, though experts say it’s more than likely not helping.
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This article appears in Jun 10-16, 2021.