When Water Becomes Toxic
Public Service Announcement. The fun of living in an agricultural-dominated state: Toxic algae season has begun. Water sampling in my local area, Nebraska, began last week. I have blogged about similar things, but the problem is getting so bad that a revisit is warranted. This problem is lowering the quality of life for millions, killing fish, pets, and people, and will soon be killing humans at an alarming rate. Most harmful algae blooms in Nebraska are caused by blue-green algae/cyanobacteria, which produce toxins. The major toxins of concern are Microcystins. Recommendations issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) trigger a health alert at 8 parts per billion of the toxin microcystin. Read that again: 8 parts per 1,000,000,000. Dangerous stuff. When a beach is under alert, it is recommended that no contact with the water occur. Microcystins are potent liver toxins and human carcinogens. They can also kill livestock and pets that drink affected...