FGCU professor studies health effects of algal blooms

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Dr. Barry Rosen, a Florida Gulf Coast University professor, is on a mission to learn more about algal bloom impacts on human health.

The professor has created a new way to study the toxic water. Inside his lab, he teamed up with Dr. Osman Karatum. 

The two created a chamber that can create a controlled natural environment. They’re using samples from Lake Okeechobee from last week. They have a tank of air that mimics wind inside. 

They can control how strong the air blows inside. That can potentially send toxic particles into the air. Dr. Rosen wants to know if it’s similar to red tide, which can be toxic once it’s an aerosol.

On the other end of the chamber is an artificial lung. The researchers can study that and determine the impact algae has on our breathing. It could prove how long we can be around a bloom before it’s harmful to our lungs. 

They’ve been working on this new study for a couple of weeks now. They’re hoping to get some more critical info in the next few months. 

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