IRRITATIONS

Who said living on the beach is all that?
For the past few days there has been a algae bloom known as "Red Tide". It has really been bothering us. It moved from Daytona south to our area and we are feeling the full blown effects from it. Dead fish and respitory problems. I went down to the beach this morning to "fetch a pail of water" for Charles' science fair project and my nose immediatlly started running, my eyes got irritated and it felt as if I were breathing in pepper spray. A friend of Jeromes went out surfing and actually got a bloody nose. Everyone in my neigborhood is feeling the effects some way or another. The kids were out playing yesterday and they all came in coughing. This is bad stuff. . .
Here is what it is if you are interested.
Karenia brevis (formerly known as Gymnodinium breve and Ptychodiscus brevis) is a marine dinoflagellate common in Gulf of Mexico waters, and is the organism responsible for Florida red tide. K. brevis is a microscopic, single-celled, photosynthetic organism that can "bloom" (see algal bloom) frequently along Florida coastal waters. Each cell has two flagella that allow it to move through the water in a spinning motion. K. brevis naturally produces a suite of potent neurotoxins collectively called brevetoxins, which are responsible for large die-offs of marine organisms and seabirds.