Algae bloom suspected cause of allergic reactions in surf

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http://www.news-journalonline.com/2002/Oct/19/AREA4.htm

Saturday, October 19, 2002

Algae bloom suspected cause of allergic reactions in surf

By IVONA LERMAN (ivona.lerman@...)

Environment Writer

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- An algae bloom suspected of killing thousands of fish

here 12 days ago may also have caused allergy-like reactions in several

people swimming and surfing near Ponce de Leon Inlet last weekend.

Florida Marine Research Institute biologists said they are testing samples

of the algae, Trichodesmium erythraeum, to see if any of them contained

toxins. Although this blue-green alga is not as toxic as red tide, it

sometimes contains compounds that could cause respiratory irritation,

stinging eyes or other problems in humans.

State biologists suspect the recent bloom depleted oxygen in the water and

killed thousands of small fish that washed up along a 2-mile stretch of the

beach Oct. 8. No dead fish have been found since, but biologists and locals

said mats of blue-green algae lingered in the area through last weekend.

Ann Forstchen, a fish health biologist at the institute, said some of the

toxins from the algae could have gotten into the air, when high surf from

Tropical Storm may have opened some algae cells and released their

toxins.

Deputy Chief Joe Wooden of the Volusia County Beach Patrol said his

department would issue advisories if many people complained about

allergy-like reactions. But he and other Beach Patrol officials said they

had no reports of people getting sick.

Some of the people who fell ill said they didn't realize right away that

their symptoms could be connected to the algae bloom. Two surfers who

participated in a surfing contest near Ponce de Leon Inlet last weekend, for

example, felt sick while they were in the water and thought it was something

they ate until they heard about the bloom.

Several other people who were on the beach during the contest told The

News-Journal they got allergy-like reactions but didn't report it to the

Beach Patrol.

Tom Warnke, a Florida representative of the Surfrider Foundation, a

nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the oceans, said he was in

the water near the surfing contest last Saturday and felt as if he couldn't

breathe properly. He said he linked it immediately to the algae bloom

because he had had similar experiences in other places.

Other surfers and visitors who were at the beach at the same time said they

felt no allergy-like symptoms. Biologists said that's normal because some

people are more prone to reactions than others.

Joann Burkholder, director of the Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology at

North Carolina State University, said there is evidence nutrient and

fertilizer runoff from land promotes algae blooms. Other researchers also

said wastewater discharge and other types of pollution might be responsible

for algae blooms, which are increasing worldwide.

Staff Writer Jordan Kahn contributed to this report.