Red tide blooms are harmful algal blooms caused by a naturally occurring marine organism called Karenia brevis, which produces powerful toxins known as brevetoxins. During a bloom, these toxins can become airborne in tiny seawater droplets, allowing people to breathe them in while spending time along affected beaches and coastlines.
While it is well known that breathing in brevetoxins can cause coughing, throat irritation, and other respiratory symptoms, much less is known about how these toxins may affect the brain. At the Roskamp Institute, our red tide research program is studying how breathing in airborne brevetoxins may influence brain health and cognitive function in people living in Florida's coastal communities. Our research has shown that individuals exposed during active red tide blooms experience not only respiratory symptoms but also brain related symptoms, including headaches. However, this doesn’t affect their quality of life.
We are currently enrolling 400 participants from Southwest Florida and the Florida Panhandle in a four-year study to better understand who may be most vulnerable to these effects and how different levels of exposure impact brain health. We are also developing laboratory tests to detect brevetoxins in blood to better understand how brevetoxins enter the body and how long they stay in the body.
An exciting part of this research is being led by PhD student Gregory Aldrich, who recently successfully defended his first-year doctoral examination. Gregory's research focuses on understanding how exposure to airborne red tide toxins may affect brain health over time. His work will help expand our knowledge of the long-term neurological effects of brevetoxins and support the development of better strategies to protect the health of Florida's coastal residents.
Together, this research aims to improve public health guidance, increase awareness of the potential health risks associated with red tide, and help protect the brain health of people living in and visiting Florida's coastal communities.
If you would like to learn more about the Red Tide brain health related research please contact (941) 256-8010.
