By Treasure Coast Newspapers Editorial Board
June 1, 2017
TC Palm
Summer of 2016
During the height of the 2016 algae crisis, media and politicians from around the state — in some cases, around the country — descended on Central Marine in Rio.
The business came to be seen as the epicenter of the disaster. Reeking, disgusting mats of blue-green algae clogged the waters around the docks. The journalists and politicians came to see the mess and left; the people who worked at the business weren’t so lucky. Neither were others who lived nearby, who could see and smell the muck from their homes near the water.
Many of us wondered what effect the algae might have on local residents. We knew the toxins in the algae could cause short-term problems: nausea and vomiting if ingested, rash or hay fever symptoms if touched or inhaled and liver disease if drank.
But what might the long-term consequences of merely being around the goop be?
Now we have a clue. And it’s alarming, to say the least.
To continue reading the opinion, please click here: http://www.tcpalm.com/story/opinion/editorials/2017/06/01/our-view-algae-study-should-prompt-new-florida-probe/349355001/