What are the costs of red tide related respiratory irritation?
The economic cost of Florida red tide can be hard to determine, but researchers at the Marine Policy Center at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are tackling this problem by looking specifically at one piece of the economic puzzle. They, along with researchers at Mote Marine Laboratory and the University of Miami, will focus on the economic damages and management costs associated with human respiratory irritation that is a consequence of aerosolized brevetoxins from a red tide bloom reaching the coast. This information can be useful in minimizing these costs in the future. Update Researchers have compiled data on the relevant resources and activities that comprise the costs of brevetoxin-related respiratory illnesses such as emergency room (ER) visits, costs of treatment, and personal income and productivity loss. Using data from Kirkpatrick et al. (2006) research on the increased rate of healthcare utilization in populations affected by aerosolized brevetoxins, models were develope
