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Aquatic Toxins Program
Overview
Florida is known for its beaches and fresh water lakes. It has over 8,000
miles of coastline. Over 80 percent of the population live near the coast.
These waters are home to microorganisms that can make toxins, a kind of
poison that occurs in nature. When these tiny organisms are present in large
amounts, they are known as harmful algal blooms (or HABs). HABs occur in
the ocean, brackish water and freshwater. When in or near the water, people
may come in contact with HABs and experience illnesses or symptoms from
the toxins.
The Florida Department of Healths (DOH) Aquatic Toxins Program works
to protect both residents and visitors from these toxins by educating the
public about HABs, watching for illnesses in communities, sponsoring research
to find out more about how these toxins affect our health, and working with
other local, state and federal agencies to decrease exposures to toxins
from these harmful microorganisms.
The Aquatic Toxins
Program began in 1997 through a grant from the Centers of Disease Control
and Prevention. This program focuses on naturally occurring toxins that
are produced by certain species of algae and cyanobacteria in marine and
fresh waters. People can be exposed to these algal toxins through a variety
of ways: skin contact, breathing the toxin that has been aerosolized, drinking
untreated water, or through eating contaminated seafood. More
information is available in an article published in the Florida Journal of Environmental Health,
Aquatic Toxins Program Article
(zipped pdf, 3.4 MB
 ).
HABs found in the state include Florida red tide, blue-green algae (also
known as cyanobacteria), and algae which make ciguatera toxin and saxitoxin
(poisions found in certain puffer fish).
Each of the toxins affect us in unique ways. People can be affected by
Florida red tide toxin from eating contaminated shellfish, breathing red
tide particles in the air, or touching red tide blooms. Some scientists
have reported that dense blue-green algae blooms in fresh water can produce
skin irritation, rashes, and sore throats in sensitive people. Drinking
untreated water with toxins from these blue-green algae may also cause illness.
Ciguatera poisoning comes from eating large, meat eating reef fish containing
ciguatoxin while puffer fish poisoning is from eating saxitoxin contaminated
puffers (also known as blow fish or sea squab) from the Indian River Lagoon.
We would like to learn more about health problems people experience from
HABs. Affected individuals should call the toll-free Aquatic Toxins Hotline
at 1-888-232-8635. It will help us study how these toxins affect our health
and find ways to protect our families. DOH has more information on health
effects from HABs on their website at http://www.myfloridaeh.com under the
subject choice: Aquatic Toxin Health Concerns.
Funding for this program comes from the US Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention Grant # U50-CCU423360-01.
Return to the Aquatic Toxins Home Page
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