Research Finds Airborne Toxins in Southwest Florida

Originally published by WINK News on May 3, 2022

There’s new information about airborne toxins in Southwest Florida as research expands. Concerns are growing about the impact on the community and the air we breathe.

The Calusa Waterkeeper set up air samplers in various locations around Lee County last year after the red tide and blue-green algae outbreak in 2018.

The main reason for the research is that there was little to no research on the effect of airborne toxins on humans.

When we see the blue-green algae blooms and red tide, we know the impact it has on the water and the smell it produces. But what does it do to us when we breathe it in?

Manny Aparicio, Calusa Waterkeeper board member, said, “When water is bad, the air is bad.”

The Calusa Waterkeeper is using a device which is an aerosol detector for harmful algae monitoring, or ADAM, to define how bad that impact is.