A bathing ban due to the high concentration of a potentially toxic microalgae in the sea It was ordered by the extraordinary commissioner of the Municipality of Melissa, Francesco Paolo D’Alessio.
The decision was made on the basis of analyses by Arpacal and at the request of the Department of Hygiene and Public Health of the Provincial Health Authority of Crotone, which detected a concentration of the algae Ostreopsis ovata equal to 271,300 cells/litre, well above the limit of 30,000 cells/litre established by law in a ministerial decree of 2010. The bathing ban concerns 500 metres of beach in the area of the cliffs that are located in front of the town of Torre Melissa.
Ostreopsis ovata is a marine microalgae typical of warm seas usually found at low depths in the presence of rocks and cliffs. It has dimensions between 30 and 60 microns and is identified under an optical microscope. If ingested, breathed in or touched, it can cause: fever, pharyngitis, respiratory problems, headache, nausea, cold, conjunctivitis, vomiting, dermatitis. Symptoms generally appear after a few hours and regress after 24-48 hours without complications. The presence of Ostreopsis ovata in Torre Melissa was detected in a sea sample taken on 20 June. Since 2007, Arpacal, together with other regional environmental protection agencies, has begun a monitoring activity dedicated to , but in previous years throughout Calabria it had never been found in concentrations greater than or equal to 30,000 cells/liter.