Florida posts first signs to warn beachgoers of oil

Health advisory signs were posted at the entrance to Perdido Key, Fla., beaches after oil began washing up Wednesday. Large amounts of the oily tar balls have appeared on beaches in the western Florida Panhandle.

New signs in Florida's western Panhandle warn beachgoers not to swim or fish along a six-mile stretch befouled by the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Late Tuesday, the Escambia County Health Department started posting the signs -- the first on Florida beaches since the spill began April 20 -- after heavier tar balls and a mousse-like tar substance were reported off Perdido Key, Fla., reports the Associated Press. Tar balls began washing ashore on county beaches Friday.

The health advisory, posted on beaches from Perdido Key to the Gulf Islands Seashore national park, warns people not to swim or fish in the water and to avoid all skin contact with oily water or dead sea animals.

"Young children, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems and individuals with underlying respiratory conditions should avoid the area," it says. Officials say violators will not be fined or punished, reports AP.

Doc Kokol, spokesman for the Florida Department of Health, said county health departments -- not his agency -- decide whether to post beach advisories and the presence of a sheen or mousse-- not tar balls -- is usually the trigger, according to the AP. "(Tar balls) are a nuisance, but they pose little health risk," he said.