A Large Mass Of Seaweed Is Coming Our Way– And It Is A Threat To Women

We have all been to the beach and seen a small clump of seaweed washed up on the shore. Depending on where you live and what the climate is like at the given time, you may have even seen adult human-sized clumps wash up in multitudes. However, what may be heading our way is something that society has never experienced before.

Environmentalists have recently brought to our attention that a large mass of seaweed is heading toward Florida and parts of the Caribbean, coming from the Atlantic Ocean. Some even believe that this is the nation’s largest seaweed mass, stretching longer than 5,000 miles. To put this into perspective, the distance between Los Angeles to New York is less than 3,000.

While you may be wondering if this is less harmful and instead just annoying to beach-goers, this seaweed mass could pose serious health threats– especially for women.

This Seaweed Could Be A Threat To Pregnancy

While the seaweed itself can do extensive damage to the marine wildlife around it, there’s a specific chemical inside of the seaweed that can do serious damage to women's health.

Specifically, in sargassum seaweed, there is a harmful chemical called Hydrogen Sulfide. So harmful, in fact, that the CDC has shared that there is evidence that exposure to this sulfide may have a connection to miscarriages. Needless to say, when this seaweed comes ashore, no women who are expecting should be anywhere near the ocean.

Why Is This Happening? Two Words: Climate Change

If you’re wondering why the world’s largest mound of seaweed is coming in 2023 of all years, the root of the problem is pretty controversial. Whether or not you believe in climate change, the environment is suffering from things that scientists didn’t even know were possible. From Antarctica melting to the areas that have experienced unexpected suffering heat waves, this gigantic seaweed mass just adds to the list of what climate change has brought our way.

What We Can Do To Prepare

There are a few things environmental activists are informing the public to do to prepare. The first and most important thing to do is to get out of the area. Recognize the dangers of the seaweed and make sure you are not anywhere near it.

The second thing to do is to raise awareness. Simply resharing this article and informing friends and family can be very helpful. Whether you have family members near the Atlantic, or you simply want to notify others, it’s important to make this issue more mainstream in order to advise others near the shore who may not know yet. So, let’s do what we can to raise awareness and stay safe.