Experts discuss health risks of harmful algal blooms in Southwest Florida

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

The Calusa Waterkeeper hosted a discussion at Florida SouthWestern State College Saturday morning to spotlight the long-term health and environmental effects of harmful algal blooms.

Keynote speaker Dr. David A. Davis, with the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank, shared findings from his research on dolphins, revealing concerning neurological changes.

"We found that they can exhibit changes in their brain that are kind of similar to what we see in patients with Alzheimer's disease," Davis said.

Currently, there is limited research showing that algal blooms cause illness through airborne exposure. To address this, the Calusa Waterkeeper developed an "Aerosol Detector for Harmful Algae Monitoring," or ADAM.

"So basically where the water meets the air, there's an interface there where a certain amount of the sign of toxins that we're trying to look at with this equipment, they become airborne and then they travel around and can move several miles from onshore and around in water; and people are breathing these toxins," said Joe Cavanaugh, Calusa Waterkeeper.

Cavanaugh noted that while most people know not to eat shellfish exposed to algal blooms, fewer realize that even breathing in the smell could pose long-term health risks.

"Although, we can limit them with limited nutrient loading. And that starts up at Lake Okeechobee and it's agricultural runoff. It's fed by septic systems and fecal indicator bacteria that gets in the water. You know, all that stuff is creating a saturation of nutrients in the river," Cavanaugh said.

Cavanaugh and others are advocating for more research and better tools to track how harmful algal blooms impact the environment and human health.

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