(WSVN) - Test results have now confirmed red tide is present in the waters off of Palm Beach County.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says preliminary tests show the Karenia Brevis organism that causes most red tides in Florida has been found in the coastal waters of Palm Beach County, but officials have not yet determined how high of a concentration is currently in the water.
Multiple beaches in Palm Beach County were closed over the weekend due to an airborne irritant. The organism releases an odorless toxin into the air that can cause respiratory irritation, including coughing, sneezing and an itchy throat.
“Red tides on the East coast of Florida are extremely rare. They can even subside and then reoccur,” FWC said in a news release. “The duration of a bloom in nearshore Florida waters depends on physical and biological conditions that influence its growth and persistence, including sunlight, nutrients and salinity, as well as the speed and direction of wind and water currents.”
FWC notes there have been 57 occurrences of red tide in the Gulf of Mexico since 1953. Eight of those events have made their way to the east coast in the area of Palm Beach County. All eight of those events originated in the Gulf of Mexico and were carried by currents to the east coast.
For more information on Red Tide and conditions around the state, visit FWC’s website.
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