Here's what to do if it irritates you

Red tide can be fatal to marine life, but when people come into contact with toxins, their reactions are typically temporary, albeit really uncomfortable.

Swim in it, eat shellfish that have dwelt in it – it could make you itchy, nauseous and on rare occasions, sick. But as beach goers in recent days can attest, most people feel their sting before they ever step into the water.

You will not smell it. Can not taste it. But walk through a breeze carrying its invisible byproducts and your eyes may water, your throat get scratchy. Sneezing, wheezing and coughing may follow. Even if you're a mile away from shore.

"It's sort of like tear gas," says Larry Brand, a marine biology and ecology professor at the University of Miami.

For some, the symptoms can be seen in the air. For others, it sticks around a bit longer, Brand said.

The best and most common advice: If you're experiencing these symptoms walk away – leave. Live in the path of the noxious breeze? Close your windows and doors and crank the air conditioning.

Skin itching after a swim? Rinse off.

Feeling ill a day or so later, see a doctor.

"Use common sense and know your own health issues," said Health Department spokesman Tim O'Connor. "Everybody is different."

So far, Palm Beach County's emergency rooms are not reporting any significant upside down in Florida's east coast last weekend, O'Connor reports.

That said, the department worked on Thursday to post signs to areas of alertness to the presence of witnesses and advisers, O'Connor said.

Red tide can cause more severe asthma or emphysema. Their systems are more sensitive to any airborne irritants, he said.

Named for the reddish-brown tinge of this particular species of algae gives the water, the red tide of the Gulf of Mexico.

When it does venture into these waters, it does not usually occur in any significant concentration.

"On this coast, you have a very strong Gulf Stream, the waters tend to get swept away and better mixed. The only concern would be the Biscayne Bay or Lake Worth Lagoon and gets bottled up, "Brand said. "But that's unlikely."

Wherever it goes, the scourge is known to scientists as Karenia brevis brews a handy neurotoxic defense – patentoxin.

Its victims are most common sea creatures. But people can be exposed to it by breathing it, touching it or ingesting it.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Americans are most commonly sickened by patented shellfish. A meal of the stuff can result in abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

It can also produce such symptoms as the reversal of hot and cold sensations or vertigo. But this is not common because of commercial shellfish beds are routinely screened for it. And while such food poisoning can send someone to the hospital, national health authorities report no fatalities.

Palm Beach County shores, but it's more focused on getting there.

Wave action can break the algae and release the patentoxin stored within. A wind whipping over the water can then pick it up and carry it in tiny droplets at least a mile inland, Brand said.

"How much more has never been tested, but I have gotten emails from people living in the United States complaining of symptoms," Brand said.

Their eyes water and redden, burn or itch. They complain of sore, irritated, scratchy throats.

Eric Medina, an ophthalmologist with Mittleman Eye in West Palm Beach, said one of his patients had been diagnosed with the disease.

"He was at the beach all weekend, and they were not taking any precautions so we came to the conclusion that it might be related," Medina said. "Some people may develop a hyper-sensitivity or a buildup of neurotoxin in their eyes."

But for most people, eye irritation should be subsidized on its own, he said.

Medina said the best advice is to avoid the sun, but it is unavoidable, rinsing eyes with preservative-free artificial tears can flush out neurotoxins. Regular tap water is too abrasive and could cause prolonged irritation, he said.

If you can not find a doctor, you can go to Florida for a few days, you can get to know more about it. A general malaise for extended periods of time, according to a five-year study of the University of Miami's Center for Health Management.

The study, which looked at 10 years of data and included areas from Tampa to Naples, was found to be averaging $ 700,000 annually.

"These issues get worse in the winter, and that's when the snowbirds come down and during the tourist season," Center Director Steven Ullmann said. "It seemed to really impact people 55 and older."

Red tide is typically a winter on the southwest coast, lasting from the fall through March.

Ullmann called "presenteeism" – really feeling bad at work anyway. For lifeguards, presenteeism can put peoples' lives in danger.

"Their ability to focus on their jobs is very significant and can be impacted by red tide," Ullmann said. "Red tide is something critical, not just from an economic and cost perspective, but also in terms of quality of life."

Palm Beach Post reporter Kimberly Miller contributed to this report.

---