A "Beach Hazards Statement" has been issued by the National Weather Service for the beaches of Charlotte and Lee Counties through Friday afternoon for possible respiratory irritation caused by Red Tide.

The symptoms you might experience if you head out to the beach include coughing, sneezing and tearing eyes. Those of you with respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema and other pulmonary diseases are likely to be more sensitive. Irritation levels may vary beach to beach and throughout the day. If you experience uncomfortable symptoms consider heading or home or at least finding an unaffected beach nearby.

You can find unaffected beaches by checking reports of local observations at https://visitbeaches.org and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commisson (FWC) red tide status at myfwc.com/redtidestatus.

If you need red tide health information consult the Florida Department of Health at http://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/aquatic-toxins/index.html or call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.

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Beach Hazards Statement issued for beaches due to red tide - Fox 4