Hundreds packed Broadway Palm theatre Monday to hear from a group of scientists studying the health problems of the algae crisis in Southwest Florida.
The Calusa Waterkeepers hosted the event, which featured Dr. Parisma Taeb, Dr. Jennifer Boddicker, and Wildlife Biologist Annisa Karim.
"One of my best friends, her husband very sick from this, from respiratory and he stopped breathing the other day,” said Luana Miller, who attended the forum.
Besides respiratory problems and shortness of breath, the algae can cause serious, even fatal ailments.
“The most common one that’s been studied, and the research came out about two years ago, is end-stage liver disease, and that’s actually deadly,” said Dr. Taeb.
Dr. Taeb says her patient load increased this summer with people suffering from respiratory problems.
Masks will help filter some of it out, but they aren’t completely effective.
That only reduces the inhalation by 45 percent,” said Dr. Taeb.
Experts say even when algae is removed, the airborne health effects could still be there.
RELATED :
Lee Department of Health urges people to avoid red tide-affected areas
