Scientists using giant test tubes to clean Florida’s waterways

If you have lived in Florida for any amount of time you are probably familiar with red tide. It leaves fish dead along our shorelines and people coughing as the wind blows toxins in the air. Now a team of scientists believes they have the answer to solving the problem. They are using giant test tubes to test their new solution in the Sarasota Bay. Dr. Kristy Lewis, a former University of Central Florida professor, said she has successfully sunk the toxins associated with red tide to the bottom of her giant test tubes which measure six feet across and 14 feet deep. Her team was able to do this using a specially charged clay powder that binds to red tide and removes it from the surface of the water. “The clay removes the red tide cells from the water columns within four to eight hours of being applied, then it sinks it down and the water column clears up. We have seen that over and over again in all of our tests,” Lewis said. She said her team is also working to make sure the cure is not worse than the problem. So far they have run tests on blue crabs and she said they were not harmed by the solution. Lewis said the clay method has been used for decades in Korea and China but has not been used here in America yet. She hopes after more testing is done it will be embraced. She believes her team could get the green light to use helicopters to start spraying impacted waterways, similar to the way officials spray mosquitoes, within the next three to five years. To learn more about Lewis’ work with giant test tubes and how they are being used to clean Florida’s waterways check out Talk To Tom. You can download it from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch it anytime on News 6+.