It may seem like a simple brownish patina on the rocks, but its presence can lead to irritation and inflammation, respiratory disorders, bronchospasm, fever, conjunctivitis and dermatitis.
To draw attention to the potential proliferation, beyond the density values established at the ministerial level, of the microalga Ostreopsis ovata On the Messina coast is the ASP prevention department which sent a note to all public and private hospital facilities in the province, since the seaweed releases potentially irritating substances in the marine environment and in the air. The diffusion in the marine air of ovotoxins, irritating compounds that can affect not only bathers, but also residents and workers of the coastal areas, is in fact a natural phenomenon, but not to be underestimated.
Ostreopsis ovata is a tropical microalga now permanently present in the Mediterranean. When it exceeds the threshold of 10,000 cells per liter, it can determine effects on the health of the exposed people.
The main criticality derives from the inhalation of the contaminated marine airosol and direct contact with water or colonized rock surfaces.
The symptoms associated with this exposure, which can also appear tens of meters from the shoreline, are generally of an irritative-inflammatory nature and include:
Respiratory disorders: rhinitis, pharyngitis, cough, breathing difficulty, bronchospasm, sometimes fever;
Ocular disorders: conjunctivitis, photophobia, tearing;
Skin disorders: dermatitis, erythema, itching;
Symptoms that can easily be confused with seasonal allergies or light viral infections, but which, especially in the most vulnerable subjects – children, the elderly and people with respiratory diseases – deserve particular attention.
Precisely to ensure timely management of potential cases connected to algal flowering, the Department of Prevention of the ASP of Messina has sent an official communication to all public and private health facilities in the province. The goal is to inform doctors, pediatricians, emergency room operators and continuity of care about the importance of considering this exposure in the clinical evaluation of patients who, during the summer, present compatible symptoms.
Healthcare personnel is invited to: include exposure to Ostreopsis ovate in differential diagnosis; carry out a targeted anamnesis that considers the recent attendance of coastal areas; Check the possible temporal and geographical correspondence with blooms reported by monitoring bodies such as Arpa Sicilia.