Microcystin blue green algae has contaminated the drinking water in Canada in Pelee Island and closed beaches in late August, right before Labor Day Weekend. A previous bloom closed beaches and water processing facilities in Ohio earlier in the summer of 2014.Microcystin is a type of blue green algae. It is present in most fresh water but it blooms when there are fertilizers or chemicals that add phosphorus to the water. The World Health Organization has set guidelines for the amount of microsystin that is safe in drinking water, but there are no state or national levels.
What is blue green algae?
Microcysin blue green algae is a type of organism that lives in fresh water. Some varieties live in salt water as well. Microcystin is one type of this algae and it is a cyanotoxin. It is toxic to the liver and can be fatal if ingested by dogs and livestock. It is not usually fatal to humans but it can cause sickness.
What to expect if you drink water contaminated with microcystin?
Exposure to microcystin can cause nausea, vomiting, weakness, muscle pain, and even liver failure. Blood diarrhea is also possible. Blue green algae intake is fatal to dogs and livestock. After 24 hours, symptoms usually appear, but even after seven hours, people may begin to feel sick. Exposure to blue green algae microcystin is not usually fatal but there were case of death caused by microsystin in 1996 when kidney dialysis patients in Brazil had water infected with microsystin used in their dialysis machines.
Treatment for microsystin blue green algae exposure
If you drink water that contains microsystin blue green algae, there is no cure for the symptoms. The best treatment is to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated, especially if you have symptoms of diahrrea. The best solution is to avoid contamination by not drinking water or swimming in areas where there are visible areas of algae bloom. Keep dogs from drinking lake water as well.
href=”http://www.wxyz.com/news/region/monroe-county/water-ban-issued-for-southern-county-residents-who-get-water-through-south-county-water-agreement” target=”_blank”>http://www.wxyz.com</a><br><br><a href=”http://www.wxyz.com/news/region/monroe-county/what-you-need-to-know-about-microcystin-toxin-prompting-water-ban-in-parts-of-monroe-county” target=”_blank”>http://www.wxyz.com</a><br><br><a href=”http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/hazardous/topics/bluegreenalgae.html” target = “_blank”>http://www.health.state.mn.us</a><br><a href=”http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archives/2014/08/27/lake-erie-toxic-algae-generates-water-alert-for-canadian-island” target = “_blank”>http://www.metrotimes.com</a>