Sargassum seaweed carries potential for respiratory problems, says medical toxicologist

Health News
Tags :
Health News
Share This :


sargassum
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A 5,000-mile floating mass of seaweed has already started washing up on Florida beaches, and with it, the potential for respiratory health concerns. A Baylor College of Medicine expert explains what you need to know to keep your family safe at the beach.

“The sargassum itself is not dangerous. It can have different jellyfish and sea creatures in it that could be a source of sting,” said Dr. Sarah Shafer, medical toxicologist and assistant professor in the Henry J.N. Taub Department of Emergency Medicine at Baylor. “Once the sargassum washes up on the beach, in 48 hours it will start to break down and lose toxic gasses. As it decomposes, we have to worry about potential exposure to humans.”

Sargassums decompose in multiple ways, including releasing ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas. When hydrogen sulfide is “off gassed,” it can produce the smell of rotten eggs even at low levels, Shafer said. When the gas reaches a certain level, however, humans can become “nose-blind” and not smell it.

“At low levels, it smells like rotten eggs in the air. This happens in natural hot springs, like at Yellowstone. It can cause some irritant effects,” she said. “In high levels, it can cause sudden death.”

When highly concentrated in a closed-off area like a sewer, hydrogen sulfide can be deadly. The compound is a chemical asphyxiant, which means it can interfere with how cells function, Shafer explained.

Since beach seaweed is not in a closed-off area, asphyxiation will not be a concern for any gas emitted. But it will be important to pay attention to different smells when around seaweed this summer.

What to look out for:

  • Rotten eggs or ammonia smell
  • Irritated eyes
  • Nausea
  • Soft tissue irritation if you touch a piece of seaweed with a higher concentration of hydrogen sulfide

People most at-risk:

  • Those diagnosed with asthma or other respiratory conditions
  • Those who live near the beach

Shafer recommends anyone with respiratory concerns leave the area if they smell rotten eggs. “If you don’t feel good, get away from it,” she said. “If there is enough sargassum that’s off-gassing that much, you won’t want to be there anyway.”

Citation:
Sargassum seaweed carries potential for respiratory problems, says medical toxicologist (2023, May 26)
retrieved 26 May 2023
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-05-sargassum-seaweed-potential-respiratory-problems.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.





Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Popular News Posts

Categories

Our Exclusive Products

Our Store

Our mission is simple, offer quality products that make our customers lives better at a reasonable price, while ensuring a hassle-free shopping experience. This means that before we bring a product to market, we test it to ensure that it meets our high-level quality standards. Our customer service team understand our products and can answer most every product related question quickly and efficiently. We strive everyday to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations of quality and support! Should we ever fail to meet this expectation – contact us and we will make it right!

Our Value: We are proud of our product and accomplishments, but we typically don’t shout it from the rooftop. Instead, we prefer to let our product and customers do the talking. Our core values can be recognized in our product. The qualities we strive for include:

Pragmatism: We design simple, useful solutions for common needs
Quality: From design to final product, we strive for durable solutions that work
Originality: Creativity and innovation are what makes our product unique
Design: Our minimalist and bold design language focuses on functionality and simplicity that is timeless

0 +

Top Rated Products

0 +

Happy Customers