This story was produced by Grist and co-published with States Newsroom . It is part of the Grist series Vital Signs , exploring the ways climate change affects your health. This reporting initiative is made possible thanks to support from the Wellcome Trust. Bailey Magers and Sunil Kumar cut strange figures on Pensacola Beach. Bags of disinfectant solution surrounded them on the white sand; their gloved hands juggled test tubes while layers of rubber and plastic shielded their skin from the elements. As the two organized their seawater samples on the popular Florida shoreline last August, an older woman wearing a swimsuit walked over to ask what they were doing. “We’re just actively monitoring water quality,” they told her, but she pressed on. “Are you looking for that flesh-eating bacteria?” “We’re looking into it,” they replied, hoping not to frighten her. The woman turned back toward the ocean, her curiosity satisfied. As she walked away, Kumar noticed that she had scrapes and bruises on her body.…