Okaloosa Health Department lays out risks of oil contact

OKALOOSA ISLAND — After a new wave of larger tar balls hit the shore Wednesday, the county health department issued an advisory asking people to stay out of the water.

The Okaloosa County Health Department and county public safety department issued the health advisory in response to “oil mousse, tar mats and extensive tar balls,” according to a health department news release. People are urged to avoid all contact with gulf water stretching from the Eglin property line near El Matador condominium to the eastern boundary of Beasley Park.

“No wading, swimming or entering the water,” the release states.

Photos

To see aerial photos of the slick just a few miles off shore, click here.

View a gallery of photos of tar balls on the beach. »

View a gallery of photos of tarball clusters seen from the Okaloosa pier.»

To see beachgoers on the beach on Okaloosa Island, click here.

Warning signs were posted in the afternoon along the affected stretch of beach.

Officials will consider rescinding the advisory after two high-tide cycles pass without a “large number of tar balls” washing up, said health department spokeswoman Cassie Garber. The department couldn’t say how long waters might be contaminated but said the advisory would be reevaluated as necessary.

For most people, brief contact with a small amount of oil will “do no harm,” but some who are allergic or more sensitive may suffer eye, nose and throat irritation or rashes, Garber said. Ingesting oil may result in nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal disturbances or diarrhea.

“Prolonged exposure is to be avoided at all costs,” she said.

Young children, pregnant women, pets, people with weak immune systems and people with respiratory conditions are asked to avoid the oiled shore. Some may experience nasal irritation or nausea from the oil’s odor.

Garber said the department wasn’t able to give any information on whether oil could cause cancer, but she said a “state toxicologist is working on that now.”

The department urges people to avoid contact with dead or dying fish. People are also asked not to fish or boat in oiled waters.

Garber said fish in restaurants and stores should be safe, but she advised people not to eat fish that smells like oil or came from waters under advisory.

While people were warned to stay out of the water, they can still go for a walk or play in the sand nearby.

“People can continue their normal activities as long as they are above the high tide line,” Garber said.

The county’s public safety department is the agency that would make the call to shut down the beach, said Emergency Management Coordinator Ken Wolfe. That was not deemed necessary Wednesday.