Costa Maya, Q.R. — A project to study the effects of decaying sargassum on public health has been started in Costa Maya. The Quintana Roo Council for Humanities, Sciences and Technologies (COQHCYT) announced the financing the project for the analysis of sargassum leachate among the population of Mahahual and Xcalak.
The project is being conducted through researchers from the Health Sciences Division of the Autonomous University of Quintana Roo to determine possible health effects on coastal area residents.
Cristopher Malpica Morales, the General Director of Consejo Quintanarroense de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (COQHCYT), highlighted the importance of promoting and benefiting from research projects that generate applied scientific knowledge.
Dr. María de Lourdes Rojas Armadillo from the Health Sciences Division of UAQROO, says her research is focused on protecting vulnerable populations through the development of medical protocols that help prevent illnesses caused by leachate generated from sargassum on the coasts.
The main objective is to determine the association between exposure to sargassum leachates and whether the emission of gases produced during the decomposition of the algae causes alterations or health effects in people who collect sargassum or those who live and/or work less than two kilometers from the accumulation areas in Mahahual and Xcalak.
The researcher explained that leachate is the result of liquids from the decomposition of sargassum on beaches. After 48 hours, this waste emits gases composed of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and methane, all of which pose potential health risks.
“These gases pose a risk when inhaled and/or enter the food chain, especially through the consumption of contaminated seafood,” said Dr. María de Lourdes Rojas.
“The consequences of exposure to these gases produced by decomposing sargassum include severe respiratory and kidney damage as well as difficulty breathing, agitation, confusion, nausea and vomiting, high blood pressure, and loss of consciousness,” she added.
Since 2019, the “Science, Technology and Innovation Agenda for the Attention, Adaptation and Mitigation of the Arrival of Pelagic Sargassum to Mexico” was created and led by the Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation.
This latest scientific research sargassum project is being promoted by Governor Mara Lezama, who is seeking to address and participate in the health issues that may affect area residents.
The research team for this project is made up of researchers from the UAQROO Health Sciences Division María de Lourdes Rojas Armadillo, Maribel Rodríguez Aguilar, Ana Cristina Jiménez Ruano, Marco Antonio Hernández Avila, Ángel Daniel Herrera España, and Juan Miguel Torres Chávez.
