In e na ional Jou nal o Social Science and Human Resea ch
ISSN (p in ): 2644-0679, ISSN (online): 2644-0695
Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025
DOI: 10.47191/ijssh / 8-i10-29, Impac ac o - 8.007
Page No: 7789-7799
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7789
Sa gassum In asions in Mexican Ca ibbean Coas (MCC): Public
Pe spec i e on Heal h, Tou ism, and En i onmen al Challenges
No ma P. Muñoz Se illa1, Sak hi Sel a Lakshmi Jeyakuma 2†, Ma iano No zaga ay Campos3, Tama Zehla
Jimenez Velaquez4, Nahid Pe ez Ayala5, Diana Cecilia Escobedo-U ias6
1,2,4Cen o In e disciplina io de In es igaciones y Es udios sob e Medio Ambien e y Desa ollo (CIIEMAD), Ins i u o Poli écnico
Nacional (IPN),Calle 30 de Junio de 1520, Ba io la Laguna Ticomán,Del. Gus a o A. Made o, C.P.07340, Ciudad de México,
México
3,6Cen o In e disciplina io de In es igación pa a el Desa ollo In eg al Regional (CIIDIR Sinaloa), Ins i u o Poli écnico Nacional
(IPN), Bule a Juan de Dios Bá iz Pa edes #250, Colonia San Joachin, C.P.81101, Guasa e, Sinaloa, Mexico.
5Uni e sidad de Mon e ey, A . Ignacio Mo ones P ie o 4500-P e, Zona Valle Ponien e, 66238 San Ped o Ga za Ga cía, Nue o
León, Mexico.
ABSTRACT: Mass blooms and beaching o Sa gassum spp. Since 2011 has de e io a ed he Mexican Ca ibbean Coas quali y
beyond he limi . Despi e se e al s udies add essed he di ec impac o Sa gassum, he po en ial heal h isk om Sa gassum in
Mexican Ca ibbean Coas (MCC) emains scan y. To add ess he knowledge gap, he indings o his s udy highligh he signi ican
socio-en i onmen al impac s o Sa gassum in luxes on he Mexican Ca ibbean Coas based on he public pe spec i es using
ques ionnai e su ey. The esul s indica ed ha emale esponden s epo highe sensi i i y o Sa gassum- ela ed impac ma kedly
heal h e ec s such as espi a o y discom o s and skin diso de s. Addi ionally, a signi ican p opo ion o esponden s obse ed
changes in ou ism and hei signi ican economic losses. This s udy u he explo es he ela ionship be ween Sa gassum beaching
and i s socio-en i onmen al consequences, highligh ing he gende ed a ia ion in pe cep ion. While economic impac s we e highly
ecognized by male esponden s, he en i onmen al and heal h ela ed conce ns we e mo e p e alen among emale esponden s.
These indings emphasize he need o a ge ed mi iga ion s a egies ha include ai quali y moni o ing, public heal h in e en ions
and sus ainable Sa gassum managemen p og ams. Hence o h, add essing hese challenges equi es in eg a ed app oaches ha
conside bo h ecological and social in e en ions o implemen ing adap i e managemen policies o os e long e m esilience on
Sa gassum impac s.
KEYWORDS: Mexican Ca ibbean Coas (MCC); Sa gassum; Su ey; Heal h impac ; Socio-en i onmen .
1. INTRODUCTION
Beaches a e mo e han me ely sand and wa e , hey a e a dynamic in e ace be ween land and sea, cons an ly sculp ed by
bo h human and na u al in luences. Amongs he global beaches, Mexican Ca ibbean Coas (MCC) is known o i s p is ine beaches
wi h u quoise wa e s and whi e sands. Howe e , na u al, and an h opogenic ac o s a e eshaping he coas line and impac ing he
coas al ecosys em (Macías Pé ez, 2009; F aga & Robledo, 2022).
Since, he MCC is economically en iched egime o he de elopmen o Mexico’s G oss Domes ic P oduc (GDP), which
is esul ed om se e al di e en ma ine and coas al ecosys em. Among his a unique onse o calami y, has de as ed he coas al and
u ban communi y, which is he massi e a i al o Sa gassum since 2011 (Sme acek and Zingone, 2013). Holo-pelagic Sa gassum
is a b own mac oalgae which loa s on he ocean su ace which has wo species: Sa gassum na ans and Sa gassum lui ans (he ea e
Sa gassum) (Ma in e al., 2021). These wo species o Sa gassum na u ally occu in he Sa gasso Sea loca ed in he A lan ic Ocean
(Fine, 1970), being habi a o ish, in e eb a es, sea u les and sea bi ds and i also se es as spawning and nu se y a eas o many
o ganisms (Pendle on e al., 2014; Sissini e al., 2017). The global e m “b own ides” has been coined o he massi e beaching o
Sa gassum spp., owing o hei b own-yellow colo ha esembles gold (Sme acek & Zingone, 2013) and hei ab up blooming was
explained h ough se e al heo ies includes ma ine pollu ion, hyd oca bon spills, spiked concen a ion o nu ien s esul ed due o
discha ges om Amazon, O inoco and Congo (Wang e al., 2019); sand dus om Saha a Dese (Cha ez e al., 2020) and ising
ocean empe a u es esul ed om clima e changes al e s he cu en s and wind pa e ns (U.C. Ma x e al., 2021).
Sa gassum In asions in Mexican Ca ibbean Coas (MCC): Public Pe spec i e on Heal h, Tou ism, and En i onmen al
Challenges
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Since 2011, some p io changes we e no iced in he MCC, wi h an ex ensi e beaching o Sa gassum om he Ca ibbean
Sea om he G ea A lan ic Sa gassum Bel (Wang and Hu, 2018; Wang e al., 2019). Since hen, h oughou he Ca ibbean, he
Sa gassum has been classi ied as in asi e and des uc i e ma ine algae gi en he ongoing challenges o he coas al communi ies
and ou ism (UNEP Uni ed Na ions En i onmen P og amme, 2018). Du ing he beaching o Sa gassum in 2015, his MCC coas
was es ima ed wi h 10,000 we onnes, co e ing an a e age 9726 m3 o seaweed accumula ed pe mon h pe km o coas line
(Rod iguez- Ma inez e al., 2016), whils his coas aced inadequa e esou ces o mi iga ion and elimina ion. The mass pile up o
Sa gassum on beaches is no a welcome sigh o smell, which has been g adually inc easing e e y yea , jus su passing 24 million
onnes in June 2022 (USF, 2022). The lack o public awa eness, scien i ic in o ma ion and ins i u ional guidance du ing he onse
o Sa gassum and limi ed esou ces o mi iga ion, cos o elimina ion also has signi ican impac on en i onmen and economics
(Ba le and Elme , 2021; Milledge and Ha ey, 2016). Despi e he ecen an h opogenic p essu es en h alled in MCC, se e al
ex ensi e esea ch ha e add essed he impac o Sa gassum on he coas al ecosys ems such as addi ion o o ganic ma e , ligh
diminu ion, anoxia and leaching ( an Tussenb oek e al., 2017; Cha ez e al., 2020); beach e osion (Sil a e al., 2020); sedimen
ex u e al e a ion (Mau e , 2019); ophic s a us changes (Cabanillas – Te an e al., 2019). Al hough he la e has been ully assessed,
Langin (2018) es ima ed ha he beaches los hei unique exquisi eness due o his accumula ion. Howe e , along wi h he impac
de ailed o cos al ecosys ems, conside ing human heal h o he a ec ed communi ies om he Sa gassum ha e emained enigma ic
in ecen yea s. Albei he onse o ew s udies conduc ed by Resie e e al (2018) and De aul e al (2021) desc ibes he espi a o y
and skin heal h issues in human, howe e he impac o Sa gassum on human heal h emains sca cely explo ed. The e o e, his s udy
seeks o examine he di ec e ec s as expe ienced by coas al esiden s and he cos al ecosys ems.
To add ess his knowledge gap, his s udy in es iga es he impac o beaching o Sa gassum in he Mexican Ca ibbean
Coas (MCC) using social analyses ia ques ionnai es. The objec i es o his s udy we e o i) assess he pe cep ions o people
ega ding he impac o Sa gassum on MCC; ii) o iden i y he common heal h issues encoun e ed by impac ed communi y who is
exposed o Sa gassum; iii) o assess he le el o awa eness abou he po en ial heal h isks associa es wi h Sa gassum exposu e and
i ) o examine he ela ionship Sa gassum exposu e and he heal h p oblems, in o de o imp o ise he adap a ion s a egies o
mi iga e hese impac s on human and cos al heal h.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1. S udy a ea
In Quin ana Roo s a e, he Mexican Ca ibbean Coas (MCC) which is abou ~ 1176 kilome e s long is loca ed adjacen o
Yuca an basin in he Ca ibbean Sea, was o med om an oceanic o igin wi h a uni o m dep h o ~ 4500 m. This Mexican Ca ibbean
Coas (MCC) con ains h ee main islands loca ed in he con inen al shel o Yuca an basin namely Cozumel, Muje es and Con oy.
This coas con ains a wide a ie y o coas al land o ms including open sea beach- dune sys ems, mang o e o es s, ba ie islands,
coas al lagoons namely, Nichup é and Chacmuchuc (which e mina es in Boca Paila sys ems) and h ee majo bays associa ed wi h
Che umal, Espi i u San o and Ascención, whe e a e in luenced by he habi a s o his opical egion (Rioja-Nie o e al., 2018).
Ea ly in he 1970s, he go e nmen and local s ake holde s encou aged he cons uc ion o Cancun as well as ou ism and u ban
de elopmen which enhanced he coun y´s economic g ow h. The ex ensi e u ban sp ead esul ed in popula ion g ow h wi h an
independen end, shi ing in ocus om he ou ism ac i i ies, wi h mode a e indus ial ac i i ies (Rioja-Nie o e al., 2018).
Wi h ex ensi e popula ion g ow h and u ban sp awl, he in ensi y o ou ism ac i i ies has accele a ed he onse o
an h opogenic impac s on MCC ecosys ems ha includes was e gene a ion, mang o e de o es a ion, ishing exploi a ion and
g oundwa e con amina ion (Rioja-Nie o e al., 2018). This egime’s ka s ic landscape made he coas al aqui e highly ulne able
o hese eme ging con aminan s, la e discha ging in o he sea (He nández-Te ones e al., 2015). This was well es ablished due o
he high connec i i y and mixing wi h he aqui e ; hus, he eshwa e esou ces ha e become con amina ed wi h hyd oca bons
(León-Bo ges & Liza di-Jiménez, 2017) and sewage along wi h ecal bac e ia esul ed om un ea ed was ewa e (He nandez-
Te ones e al., 2015; Secai a & Ace edo, 2017). Fu he mo e, his egion is also ulne able o hu icanes and clima e changes
associa ed wi h sea le el ise and co al bleaching e en s (López-Pé ez e al., 2024).
The Mexican Ca ibbean Coas has a ka s elie egionally known as “Ceno es” which is he main sou ce o eshwa e on
he Yuca an Peninsula. This egime consis s o highly pe meable ka s ic e ain, whe e he su ace wa e en e s he aqui e s h ough
ac u es and sinkholes, locally known as Ceno es. The p e e en ial pa hways o he wa e o pe cola e his ka s ic e ain esul ed
om wo aul /lineamen s sys ems o med 54 – 33 million yea s ago namely he Holbox Lineamen Zone and he Rio Hondo Faul
zone (Baue -Go wein e al., 2011). The g oundwa e is connec ed o he coas h ough ca bona e dissolu ion by ock/wa e
in e ac ion be ween me eo ic and saline g oundwa e (Wigley & Plumme , 1976). The eshwa e aqui e in he Mexican Ca ibbean
can be ound be ween 5 and 20 m deep om he su ace, whe e Subma ine g oundwa e discha ges (SGDs) a e common along he
coas and wa e is eleased in o he coas al ocean h ough seepage o sp ings which accoun s > 77% ha is ela ed o sp ings (Sma
e al., 2006; Null e al., 2014).
Sa gassum In asions in Mexican Ca ibbean Coas (MCC): Public Pe spec i e on Heal h, Tou ism, and En i onmen al
Challenges
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This zone expe iences wa e p opaga ion in a sou h- sou heas di ec ion om he Ca ibbean Sea associa ed wi h s o ms and
hu icanes wi h a signi ican wa e heigh o mo e han 10 m (Sil a, Mnedoza, Escalan e, Ruiz & Ma iño, 2009). Due o his dynamic
coas al mo pho dynamics, equen opical cyclones cause widesp ead des uc ion in Mexican Ca ibbean coas al ecosys ems and
human in as uc u e caused om inadequa e coas al cons uc ion p ac ices and apid u baniza ion ound close o he coas al zone.
In his coas , he p e ailing Ca ibbean cu en esul ed om he A lan ic Ocean which was d i en by he wes wa d componen o
he opical A lan ic ci cula ion whe e he Sou h Equa o ial Cu en s me ges wi h No h B azil Cu en , la e bi u ca es in o wo
b anches, one lowing owa ds No h Equa o ial Cu en and o he pu sue o low owa d he Ca ibbean. Also, he h ee wa e masses
exis in he Ca ibbean such as he Wa m Ca ibbean Su ace Wa e (CSW), he Sub opical Unde wa e (SUW) and he T opical
A lan ic Cen al Wa e (TACW), whe eas he cha ac e is ics o hese wa e we e modi ied by he coas al eshwa e in e ac ions and
he ci cula ion in he Mexican Ca ibbean. This la ge-scale ci cula ion plays a c ucial ole o he connec i i y o he ecosys ems and
he anspo o hea , he nea sho e dynamics which was esponsible o anspo a ion and dispe sion o nu ien s, pollu an s, and
sedimen s om he coas al a eas. Fu he , his ci cula ion esul s in he lushing o lagoons, whe e he shallow lows a e dependen
on ba hyme ic a iabili y including ee colonies (Ma iño- Tapia e al., 2010).
This egion is home o 16 na u al p o ec ed a eas (NPAs) including ou lo a and auna p o ec ion a eas, six na ional pa ks,
i e biological ese es and one sanc ua y. The ecosys ems in his egime include opical deciduous o es s, mang o e o es s and
o he we lands, seag ass and mac oalgae beds and co al ee s (Meso Ame ican co al ee ). The managemen and conse a ion o
hese ecosys ems acing challenges such as illegal ishing, high ou ism, un egula ed and in ensi e u ban and ou ism cons uc ion,
g oundwa e con amina ion. Ne e heless, he exis ing p oblems, he beaching o Sa gassum has e ol ed wi h se e al di ec and
indi ec which demands an in ense in es iga ion (Rod íguez-Muñoz e al., 2021).
2.2 Da a collec ion
This in es iga ion aids o cap u e he insigh s on he socio- en i onmen al impac s ma kedly on human heal h pe spec i e
esul ed om Sa gassum using su ey o pe cei e people´s opinion (Jeyakuma e al., 2022). Hence, we made an e o o unde s and
he sensi i i y o his b own ide disas e ollowing he highes amoun o accumula ion encoun e ed on 2021 (~ 10.1 million onnes).
The da a we e collec ed du ing Augus 2022, when he peak season o Sa gassum accumula ion was no iced om he Ri e a Maya
co ido ha includes ou majo si es based on he simul aneous accumula ion and elimina ion o Sa gassum was conduc ed (Hamel
e al., 2024). The s udy a ea was p esen ed in Figu e 1 ini ia es om Cancun (a), Playa del Ca men (b), Pun a Allen (c) Mahahual
(d) o highligh he geog aphical ep esen a ion. The su ey was conduc ed o pe iod o 10 days and su eyed among he coas al
wo ke s (locally called as sa gace o) ec ui ed o he manual elimina ion o Sa gassum, s akeholde s, exposed indi idual exposed
o Sa gassum on egula basis and coas al esiden s based on ou ism ela ed ac i i ies (maids, endo s, ishe man, boa ope a o s,
ho elie s, ishe y coope a i es) and geog aphical ep esen a ion. On o al o 71 indi iduals om a o emen ioned backg ound we e
su eyed wi h no age limi s, o well g asp he pe spec i e o socio- en i onmen al impac om Sa gassum. Among 71, 36 in o man s
we e male and 35 we e emale. Also, we classi ied he in o man s based on hei age om 20-30; 30-40; 40-50; 50-60 and abo e
60. The in e iews we e oice eco ded and used only o e i y quo es o a oid any misin e p e a ion o he in o man pe spec i e.
The in e iew a ied om 30 minu es o 1 hou depend on willingness o each in o man . The esponses we e ecodi ied, and he
da a en e ed sp eadshee s o desc ip i e analysis. In his analysis, only he in o ma ion deli e ed by he people we e conside ed o
unde s anding he pe cep ion and only gende o he in o man s we e used.
Figu e 1: S udy a ea map showing su eyed zones om Mexican Ca ibbean Coas , Quin ana Roo.
Sa gassum In asions in Mexican Ca ibbean Coas (MCC): Public Pe spec i e on Heal h, Tou ism, and En i onmen al
Challenges
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2.3 Resea ch design
The su ey consis s o 23 ques ions which was classi ied in o wo ca ego ies ocused on pe cep ion on coas al and human
heal h espec i ely due o he beaching o Sa gassum. The su ey on coas al heal h consis s o 10 ques ions, while he human heal h
consis s o 13 ques ions. The ques ions we e designed based on he p e- exis ing wo ks on Sa gassum impac s in he MCC (Rosellón
D uke e al., 2023). All he p edic i e esea ch ques ions we e p o ided dicho omously wi h “yes” o “no” o p ecisely es ima e he
ealis ic u u e in ui ions on MCC scena io due o he Sa gassum beaching.
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The p ecu ed esul s we e di ided in o wo olds o lawless in e p e a ions o he p e ailing coas al and heal h impac s
due o Sa gassum. Among he in o man s, gende and age analyzed and he demog aphics we e ound simila accoun ing o 35
emales and 36 males. Fo be e unde s anding, he da ase was discussed based on gende as male and emale acili a ing he
gende -based pe cep ions. Fo he emale in o man s, abou 10% we e om he age ange o 20 - 30; 30 % we e om 30 - 40; 20%
we e om 40 – 50; 25% we e om 50 – 60 and 15% we e abo e 60. Meanwhile in male in o man s, he 43% we e belongs o age
ange o 20- 30; 10% we e om 30 – 40; 14% we e 40 – 50; 24% we e om 50 – 60 and 10% we e abo e 60. The p opo ionali y
in he age g oups we e ound highe o young and middle-aged people o bo h he gende , which is indica i e o he suscep ibili y
o onse o any heal h issues in he upcoming yea s based on hei ime exposed o Sa gassum (EPA, 2023). The ollowing wo se s
o discussions handles he pe cep ion on he coas al and human heal h impac ed by he Sa gassum in MCC.
3.1 Coas al heal h
The su ey was ini ia ed wi h ques ions o know he opinions om in o man s o e i y he coas al heal h pe cei ed om
Sa gassum as p esen ed in Figu e 2. The ini ial ques ions we e abou he loss o elegance due o Sa gassum, while majo i y o
in o man s esponded wi h “Yes” (90%) and 10% wi h “No” (Figu e 2 (1)). This clea ly indica es ha how he p esence o
Sa gassum has uined he g ace o MCC on la ge scale. A simila s udy conduc ed by Rosellón-D uke e al (2023) epo s he
simila de e io a ion o beach landscape componen s ma kedly loss o u quoise blue seawa e colo . Howe e , he 10% o “No”,
indica e he esponden s we e less in e es owa ds he landscape impo ance. This ques ion clea ly e eals his pe cep ion on
Sa gassum a ec ing he aes he ics o MCC in luence he ou ism and o he ac i i ies. Followed by he nex ques ion on eeling any
discom o om he p esence o Sa gassum on he beach (Figu e 2 (2)), whe e 83% o bo h gende s we e expe iencing discom o ,
which shows he senso y ac o s such as odo and i i a ion due o he p esence o Sa gassum. This is clea ly in acco dance wi h
Hamel e al (2024), whe e he beach use s we e s ongly a ec ed wi h “o e whelming smell”. The combined ques ions on he
p esence o any in asi e species and mo ali y nea by on he coas (Figu e2 (3,8)), as onishingly, 74% we e eplied wi h “yes” and
26% wi h nega i e esponse. This esponse encoun e s a dispa i y wi h he in o ma ion, indica ing ha ecological impac pe cei ed
om Sa gassum has no been ecognized well due o lack o awa eness. Howe e , a ecen s udy has mani es ed he a i al and
mo ali y o seag ass and ishes wi h deme sal ne i ic habi a s and c us aceans, and he mo ali y was due o combined e ec o high
ammonium and H2S concen a ions oge he wi h hypoxic condi ions ( an Tussenb oak e al., 2017; Rod íguez-Ma ínez e al.,
2019). In addi ion, a s udy on ghos c ab densi y mani es s he beaching cleaning ac i i ies o he emo al o Sa gassum ha e
simila impac o beach quali y moni o ing (Ocaña e al., 2020). Also, he e is disc ee impac obse ed om he Sa gassum, which
was an assemblage o epiphy ic ca bona es domina ed by b yozoan skele ons, se pulid wo ms ubes and smalle quan i ies o
c us ose ed algae as iden i ied as Sal e e al (2020). This s udy also es ima ed he a e age ca bona e impo o 7000 kg.m-1 o
sho eline along a 60 km s e ch o coas be ween Cancun and Playa de Ca men sugges ing o al ca bona e impo o ha yea
a e aged 179 kgCaCO3.m-1 o sho eline. Following he opinion on no icing changes on nes ing beha io o sea u les a e
Sa gassum blooms (Figu e 2(4)). Mos o he in o man s (66%) s a ed o no changes and 34% s a ed o changes in nes ing beha io .
The con a y esponse in ol es he lack o adequa e in o ma ion on his pe spec i e. Albei his opinion, a epo indica es ha in
Mahahual, he numbe o sea u les has dec eased by 70%, wi h he a e age numbe o eggs pe nes d opping om a ound 100 o
30. This decline has a ibu ed o inc eased amoun o Sa gassums and ash on he beaches, hinde ing he emale u les om
accessing he sui able nes ing si es and pose obs acles o ha chlings ying o each he sea (Gale a, 2023). A scien i ic s udy by
Mau e e al (2021) iden i ied he changes in sea u les nes ing in he No h A lan ic owing o in asion o Sa gassum.
Sa gassum In asions in Mexican Ca ibbean Coas (MCC): Public Pe spec i e on Heal h, Tou ism, and En i onmen al
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Figu e 2: G aphical ep esen a ion o opinions on en i onmen al impac s pe cei ed om Sa gassum in luxes in Mexican
Ca ibbean Coas
Fo pe cei ing he opinion on di ec o indi ec impac on he Sa gassum deposi on land (Figu e 2 (5)), nea ly pa ial
esponden s o 61% accep ed he impac o bu ial o Sa gassum du ing cleaning ac i i ies, while o he 39% denied. The e is
ex ensi e esea ch which ini ially decla ed he nu ien inpu (𝑁𝐻4
+) by he decomposi ion o Sa gassum along wi h he low
a ailabili y o dissol ed oxygen (Camacho-C uz e al., 2022). Also, he bu ial o Sa gassum along wi h decomposi ion eleases oxic
Sa gassum In asions in Mexican Ca ibbean Coas (MCC): Public Pe spec i e on Heal h, Tou ism, and En i onmen al
Challenges
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me als conside ably A senic in hei leacha es (Olguín – Maciel e al., 2022; Rod íguez-Ma ínez e al., 2020). Also, a s udy by So o-
Mo ales e al (2022) and O ega-Flo es e al (2022) p esen ed he accumula ion o Mg, Li, Mo, U, Sb, Cs, Cu, Fe, As in he
Sa gassum species, la e ha ing he highe chances o elease o leacha es and i s bioaccumula ion. Abdool-Ghany e al (2023)
clea ly desc ibed he limi a ion o using Sa gassum compos owing o highe concen a ions o A senic and i s bioaccumula ion
ac o s when used in a ming. Apa om he me al p e olia ion, he Sa gassum cleanup ac i i ies using machine y esul s in a
subs an ial loss o sedimen accoun ing be ween 30 and 90% o he ma e ial emo ed om beaches was sand (Oxen o d e al., 2021;
Roig-Muna e al., 2022). Cha ez e al (2020) endo sed on Sa gassum cleanup ac i i ies has educed he beach leng h by almos
hal .
The ques ions abou no icing changes in accumula ion o Sa gassum du ing hu icane ime we e ound wi h 30% o
esponden s denying wi h “no”, while 70% accep ed wi h “yes” (Figu e 2 (6)). The d as ic change in he esponse clea ly indica es
lack o obse a ion among he beach use s, howe e , s ong e idence mani es s he a i al o Sa gassum was o ally domina ed by
s ong wind and cu en s p e ailing in he No h A lan ic Ocean, which is esponsible o anspo a ion o Sa gassum owa ds MCC
(Johns e al., 2020; Zhang e al., 2024). The ques ion abou changes in ou is ´s pe cep ion was accep ed by 77% esponden s wi h
“yes” and 23% wi h “no” (Figu e 2 (7)). This highligh s he baseline impac s o Sa gassum a ec ing he ou ism in MCC, which
was iden i ied h ough a s udy by Hamel e al (2024) ha endo sed he declining ou is s a i al demanding e und o hei
ese a ions a e ha ing a look a he beach. The main decline o ou ism esul ed om es ic ions o ec ea ional ac i i ies o sho e
and onsho e such as wa e ac i i ies like boa ing, su ing, pa agliding (Hamel e al., 2024). The nex ques ion di ec ed on economic
loss due o he beaching o Sa gassum, whe e only 30% o “yes” and 70% o “no” (Figu e 2 (9)). This as onishing esul o “no
“indica e a clea no a ion ha since his su ey we e done mos ly among he sa gace o, hei p incipal income esul ed om he
sa gasso elimina ion on egula basis. Simul aneously, 30% o “yes” we e esul ed om he o he ou is s ope a o s such as boa
ope a o s, local endo s, and ho elie s who has los hei income due o declined ou ism ac i i ies om he Sa gassum a i al
(Rod íguez-Ma ínez e al., 2023). I is no ewo hy o men ion, he Sa gassum disposal p ocedu es includes huge cleanup cos up o
US$5 million ha will sha e o hea y machine y coas s, labo s (sa gace os) anspo a ion and disposal echniques (Milledge and
Ha ey, 2016). On he o he side, nea ly o e 90 pa en s we e ecei ed e e s o Sa gassum ha has been used o bo h e ilize and
animal eed (La oley e al., 2011; Joni e e al., 2021). The e o e, mos o he nega i e esponse indica ed he economic bene i s
ecei ed om Sa gassum, since he people lacking he clea impac pe cei ed om he Sa gassum and i s exposu e. Finally, he
ques ion abou he p esence o Sa gassum a ec ed pe sonally indica ed 69% o “yes” and 31% o “no” (Figu e 2 (10)). These
esul s clea ly ep esen he p esence o Sa gassum on mul i ude manne a ec ing he physical and men al heal h o he people who
is exposed on egula basis. Since, he ini ial dis u bance ini ia es om he oul smelling o Sa gassum upon a i al on he coas ,
la e in i ing se e al iny bugs and insec s a ec ing he elegance and beach quali y (Hamel e al., 2024).
3.2. Human heal h
The second se o ques ions in ol es he human heal h impac s pe cei ed om Sa gassum a i al p esen ed in Figu e 3 (1-
13). The ini ial ques ion was aimed o check he exposu e ime o he pe son o he Sa gassum (Fig 3 (1)). Nea ly, 55% we e ound
wi h no exposu e ollowed wi h 15% ound o 8 hou s o exposu e, and 1% o 7 and 4 hou s; 4% o 5 – 6 hou s o exposu e and
11% o 3 hou s; 7% o 1 hou o exposu e. The highes esponses wi h no exposu e esul ed om he esponden s who is o he
han sa gace o wi h o he economic ac i i ies ela ed o ou ism, whils he o he esponses esul ed di ec ly om he sa gace o who
we e supposed o ha e he exposu e o Sa gassum on imely basis a e aging 8 hou s/day (Agencias, 2019). The nex ques ions we e
abou he use o p o ec ion ki s such as glo es, glass, masks, and ap on du ing he exposu e o Sa gassum (Fig 3 (2)). The
esponden s we e eplied wi h 65% o “yes” and 35% o “no” which was ound nea ly pa ial. Since he onse o Sa gassum on
MCC was imposing a g ea e impac wi hin sho span o ime, only ew go e nmen s and p i a e en i ies we e able o handle he
Sa gassum deposi by hi ing people o manual emo ing on con ac basis. Due o lack o knowledge on he Sa gassum impac
du ing ea lie ime, he sa gace o handled he Sa gassum wi hou any p o ec ion. Howe e , based on inc easing wo ks on Sa gassum
impac on human heal h, some o he en i ies implemen ed he obliga o y use o glass, glo es, ap on, and mask o he sa e y o
sa gace o as ep esen ed in Figu e 4 (a-e). Then ques ion on sensa ion o any i i a ion on eyes and h oa esul ed wi h 44% o
“yes”, while 56% o “no”, he e mos o he nega i e esponses migh esul owing o he use o mask, glass, and glo es du ing hei
exposu e o Sa gassum (Figu e 3 (3)). Howe e , he esponden s eeling he i i a ion esul ed due o lack o p o ec i e measu es
and longe exposu e du ing emo al p ocess. I is also impo an o men ion ha , du ing he decomposi ion o Sa gassum based on
se e al en i onmen al ac o s such as empe a u e and mois u e, hyd ogen sul ide gas will be eleased om ew days o weeks,
which will cause i i a ion in senso y o gans (Banydeen e al., 2024). This is e y e iden ha pa ien s epo ed wi h simila senso y
i i abili y a e beaching o Sa gassum in A lan ic islands we e epo ed by Resie e e al (2020), howe e , his s udy egimes s ill
lacks medical his o y o he pa ien s epo ed a e his Sa gassum a i al a MCC. Also, he ques ion abou skin in ec ion due o
Sa gassum we e esul ed wi h 32% o “yes” and 68% o “no” (Figu e 3 (4)). This esul emains simila wi h he p e ious esul s,
endo sing ha he ime and longe i y o he indi idual exposu e o he Sa gassum desc ibes hei pe sonal heal h impac and also
he exposu e o eshly beached Sa gassum, and decaying Sa gassum ha e sepa a ed e ec s on indi iduals (Banydeen e al., 2024).
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IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7795
The ques ion on any s ings o bi es om any insec s ound among he Sa gassum esul ed wi h 73% o “no” and 27% o
“yes” (Figu e 3 (5)). This was dispa a e and indica ed ha use o p o ec ion ki s and exposu e o esh Sa gassum aids in escaping
om s ing bi es, whils he decaying Sa gassum a ac s se e al insec s o e ouling smell, ha indeed a ec s he pe son exposed o
he insec s (EPA, 2023). Also, he in o ma ion abou eeling di icul y in b ea hing esul ed in 89% o “no” and 11% o “yes”
(Figu e 3 (6)). These esul s we e ound as onishingly dispa a e, because he p elimina y impac om he Sa gassum beaching was
oul smelling along wi h gas emissions, bu hese nega i e esponses indica e he highe exposu e o esh Sa gassum and 5%
esponses clea ly del wi h he esponden s who we e exposed o decayed Sa gassum and he simul aneous ouling smell causes
di icul y in b ea hing e en espi a o y p oblems (Resie e e al., 2021; Banydeen e al., 2024). The ques ion on speci ica ion on any
heal h p oblems mani es ed he onse o ollowing p oblems such as blu y ision (11%), headache (28%), mood swing (13%) o he s
(10%) and none (38%) as shown in igu e 3 (7). The incong uous esponses clea ly indica ed ha mos o he esponden s doesn’
indica e any signs o heal h p oblems, howe e 28% o he people had headache and 13% o mood swing and 11% o blu y ision
(Schmid , 2023). The onse o he p oblem esul ed om he Sa gassum, because he s udies conduc ed by Resie e e al (2021)
epo ed ew neu ological diso de s such as headache, dizziness and sleep diso de s o he pa ien s who exposed o he Sa gassum
in No h A lan ic Islands. Bu 38% o he esponden s indica ed none o he diso de s, owing o he esponden ecen exposu e
o Sa gassum and hei age ac o s, ha ’s play a dominan ole o he in ensi y o heal h diso de s (Banydeen e al., 2024). The
ollowing ques ion abou showing symp oms o slu ed speeches wi h changes in acial exp essions showed 89% o “no” and 11%
o “yes” as shown in igu e 3 (8). E en hough, only 11% o he esponded, his indica es he mild onse o neu ological diso de s
among he people who has exposed o he Sa gassum (Resie e e al., 2021). Also, esponded we e ag eed o empo a y memo y
loss by 14% and denied ha esponse by 86% (Figu e 3 (9)), which is also esul an o neu ological diso de s. In o de o a oid he
misin e p e a ion o hese heal h impac s, he esponden s we e checked o COVID-19 in ec ion du ing he pandemic esul ed wi h
75% o “no” and 25% o “yes” (Figu e 3 (10)), since he ou comes o COVID-19 we e also ela ed o some neu ological diso de s
including dis u bances in sleep cycle (Xu e al., 2022).
Figu e 3: G aphical ep esen a ion o opinions on human heal h impac s pe cei ed om Sa gassum in luxes in Mexican
Ca ibbean Coas
The ques ion abou p esence o any ch onic illness we e iden i ied wi h 87% wi h no ch onic illness, while 13% wi h “yes”
(Figu e 3 (11)). Also, his ques ion aids unde s and well ha mos o he ecen heal h discom o s indica ed a e he exposu e o
Sa gassum, mo eo e , his esponse con i ms ha mos o he esponden s do no ha e any ch onic illness, bu o he skin and
espi a o y p oblems ha e en ually esul ed om he Sa gassum. Finally, he ques ion abou isi ing he heal h ca e acili ies a e
showing any symp oms due o Sa gassum esul ed in 78% o “yes” and 22% o “no” (Figu e 3 (13)). These wo esponses highly
Sa gassum In asions in Mexican Ca ibbean Coas (MCC): Public Pe spec i e on Heal h, Tou ism, and En i onmen al
Challenges
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7796
demons a es ha he people a e a ec ed by Sa gassum p esence ha equi ed a la ge-scale heal h moni o s udy in he MCC. The
highe pe cen age o people using he heal h cen e acili ies due o symp oms expe ienced a e Sa gassum exposu es, indica es he
eali y o heal h impac s pe cei ed om he Sa gassum, hus equi ing an immedia e in es iga ion on human heal h in he MCC.
Figu e 4: a-e. Pho og aphs on Sa gassum deposi , anspo a ion and disposal by sa gace o.
4. CONCLUSION
The indings om his s udy highligh ed he socio- en i onmen al impac s o Sa gassum in luxes on he Mexican Ca ibbean Coas .
By conduc ing a su ey o e 71 in o man s who we e dedica ed o manual emo al o Sa gassum and o he ou ism ela ed wo ke s
upon exposing hemsel es o Sa gassum on egula basis. The su ey was conduc ed in poin o iew ocused on coas al and human
heal h impac pe cei ed o Sa gassum and i s exposu e. The esul s on coas al heal h clea ly deno ed ha he MCC is nega i ely
impac ed by Sa gassum a ec ed ou ism, ma ine ecosys ems, hus de e io a ing o e all coas al aes he ics. The ocus on human
heal h esul s indica e ha women end o epo g ea e conce ns ocused on heal h e ec s o Sa gassum, ma kedly in espi a o y
discom o s. The gende ed a ia ion in he pe cep ion a i ms he Sa gassum´s consequences ex end beyond ecological deg ada ion
hus a ec ing social and economic dimensions. Whils some indi iduals expe ience di ec e ec s such as heal h symp oms and
economic losses. Hence o h, unde s anding hese di e ences in people´s pe spec i es is c ucial o designing inclusi e and e ec i e
managemen s a egies. To mi iga e he ad e se e ec s o Sa gassum, his s udy unde lines he impo ance o implemen a ge ed
in e en ions h ough imp o ed moni o ing o ai quali y, enhanced cleanup ope a ions and sus ainable adap ion measu es o he
conside a ion o ecological and human heal h conce ns. Thus, his s udy is conside ed as a baseline s udy which en o ces he need
o longe e m mul idisciplina y esea ch o add essing he mul i ace ed challenges posed by Sa gassum in luxes and encou aging
coas al communi ies can wo k owa ds sus ainable solu ions ha p o ec s bo h en i onmen al and human wellbeing, he e o e
ensu ing long e m esilience o acing he ecu ing Sa gassum ides in MCC.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
NPMS wishes o hank o hei inancial suppo h ough p ojec (20231968) and Sis ema Nacional de In es igado es (SNI). JSS
g a e ully acknowledges he inancial suppo om SECHITI, Mexico o he pos doc o al ellowship TZJV wishes o exp ess hei
g a i ude o SECHITI o he esea ch ellowship. DCEU wishes o hank o hei inancial suppo h ough p ojec (20231968).
NPMS, SSLJ, MNC, DCEU hank Sis ema Nacional de In es igado es (SNI), Mexico o he p esen esea ch. We hank all he
olun ee s who ha e con ibu ed hei ime and esou ces o he collec ion o hese da a.
AUTHOR’S CONTRIBUTIONS
Concep ualiza ion: NPMS, SSLJ, DCEU; Da a cu a ion: NPMS, SSLJ, NPA; Fo mal analysis: NPMS, SSLJ, TZJV; Funding
acquisi ion: NPMS, DCEU; In es iga ion: NPMS, SSLJ, MNC, TZJV, NPA, DCEU; Me hodology: NPMS, SSLJ, DCEU; P ojec
adminis a ion: NPMS, DCEU; Resou ces: NPMS, DCEU; So wa e: NPMS, SSLJ, MNC, TZJV, DCEU; Supe ision: NPMS,
Sa gassum In asions in Mexican Ca ibbean Coas (MCC): Public Pe spec i e on Heal h, Tou ism, and En i onmen al
Challenges
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7797
SSLJ, DCEU; Valida ion: NPMS, SSLJ, MNC,TZJV, DCEU; Visualiza ion: NPMS, SSLJ, MNC,TZJV; Roles/W i ing - o iginal
d a : NPMS, SSLJ, MNC, TZJV, NPA, DCEU; W i ing: - e iew & edi ing: NPMS, SSLJ, MNC, TZJV, NPA, DCEU. All au ho s
e iewed he manusc ip .
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