Coastal areas of western Sabah on the island of Borneo are experiencing a red tide, a bloom of toxic red plankton that shellfish can absorb and that will cause illness if ingested. The plankton can also cause eye, skin and respiratory irritation in people who visit beaches where the plankton has collected. The areas around Kota Kinabalu and Labuan are affected, and a large patch has spawned about 25 miles off the coast of Miri in northern Sarawak.
