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Montevideo, November 21st 2024 - 22:28 UTC

Tag: Andrea Boggild

  • Saturday, July 27th 2019 - 09:46 UTC

    Caribbean tourists warned of the toxicity of Sargassum on the beaches

    Decomposing Sargassum releases hydrogen sulfide gas and ammonia, which can cause respiratory, skin and neurocognitive symptoms in humans

    Tourists to the Caribbean may not realize that a brown drifting seaweed that's been piling up on beaches in recent years is dangerous, researchers say. Travelers and doctors alike should be aware that prolonged contact with the Sargassum weed, or inhaling the hydrogen sulfide gas it gives off as it decomposes on the beach, can cause heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, vertigo, headache and skin rashes, the authors write in the Journal of Travel Medicine.