Overview of Aerosolized Florida Red Tide Toxins: Exposures and Effects Lora E. Fleming,1 Lorraine C. Backer,2 and Daniel G. Baden3 1National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Marine and Freshwater Biomedical Sciences Center and National Science Foundation-National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Oceans and Human Health Center, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Miami, Florida, USA; 2National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; 3Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA Abstract Florida red tide is caused by Karenia brevis, a dinoflagellate that periodically blooms, releasing its potent neurotoxin, brevetoxin, into the surrounding waters and air along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Exposure to Florida red tide toxins has been associated with adverse human health effects and massive fish and marine mammal deaths. The articles in this mini-monograph describe the ongoing interdisciplinary and interagency research program that characterizes the exposures and health effects of aerosolized Florida red tide toxins (brevetoxins) . The interdisciplinary research program uses animal models and laboratory studies to develop hypotheses and apply these findings to in situ human exposures. Our ultimate goal is to develop appropriate prevention measures and medical interventions to mitigate or prevent adverse health effects from exposure to complex mixtures of aerosolized red tide toxins. Key words: brevetoxins, harmful algal blooms (HABs) , Karenia brevis, red tides, sensitive populations. Environ Health Perspect 113:618-620 (2005) . doi:10.1289/ehp.7501 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 10 February 2005] This article is part of the mini-monograph "Aerosolized Florida Red Tide Toxins (Brevetoxins) ." Address correspondence to L.E. Fleming, c/o Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami School of Medicine, 1801 NW 9th Ave., Highland Professional Building, Suite 200 (R669) , Miami, FL 33136 USA. Telephone: (305) 243-5912. Fax: (305) 243-3384. E-mail: lfleming@med.miami.edu This research was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) grant P01 ES 10594 and a Minority Supplement to the P01 also from the NIEHS, as well as by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Florida Harmful Bloom Taskforce, and the Florida Department of Health. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 2 August 2004 ; accepted 4 January 2005. The full version of this article is available for free in HTML or PDF formats. |