{"id":14629,"date":"2013-09-11T13:27:56","date_gmt":"2013-09-11T17:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/?p=14629"},"modified":"2021-11-10T16:44:13","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T20:44:13","slug":"ohio-regulators-researching-algal-bloom-toxins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/ohio-regulators-researching-algal-bloom-toxins.htm","title":{"rendered":"Ohio regulators still working to understand algal toxicity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Algae infested Grand Lake St. Marys in Ohio in 2010. As the bloom died, animals and people started getting sick from the waterborne microbes.<\/p>\n

In an extreme case, toxins produced by algae in the lake killed a Labrador retriever and landed dog owner Danny Jenkins in the hospital. \u00a0\u201cHe washed the dog. (Water) splashed in his face and he ended up with some neurological issues,\u201d said Linda Merchant-Masonbrink, coordinator for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s inland lakes and harmful algal blooms workgroups. \u201cSo it does happen, but not very often.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several forms of algae dwelling in Ohio and water bodies across the nation have the potential to produce toxins that can cause skin irritation, liver poisoning and brain damage. \u00a0Ohio regulators are still in the early stages of understanding how to keep the public safe from algal toxins.<\/p>\n

\u201cToxins are tasteless and odorless and they\u2019re water soluble,\u201d said Merchant-Masonbrink. \u201cSo the public can\u2019t see it. We\u2019re going to have to talk to the public about things they can\u2019t see, smell, taste or whatever. So that\u2019s a bit of a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ohio EPA and departments of Natural Resources and Health work together to sample and monitor for algae in inland lakes in state parks. Their methods are still developing to deal with the variable nature of algae toxin release.<\/p>\n

Algal toxins are typically contained inside cells until they die, breaking open the cells and releasing toxins. The concentration and length of time the toxins persist depends on how the algae grow and how the lake mixes.<\/p>\n

Jeff Reutter, director of Ohio State University\u2019s Stone Laboratory, said Lake Erie\u2019s rapid mixing, for instance, lowers the potential for severe danger from algal toxins after a bloom passes. \u201cThe mixing and the movement that we have here is going to rapidly reduce that toxin concentration to the point that it\u2019s no longer a serious problem,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the smaller bodies of water I would be a whole lot less confident in making any kind of a statement that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merchant-Masonbrink said she cannot say generally how long toxins persist after a bloom disappears because there are too many variables at play in any given water body.<\/p>\n

Microcystin is the most common toxin, found in 30 percent of inland lakes nationwide, according to the U.S. EPA\u2019s national lakes survey. It\u2019s a liver toxin produced by the blue-green algae species microcystis. Symptoms of microcystin exposure include vomiting, diarrhea, liver tumors and even death. So far, death after exposure has only been reported in animals in Ohio.<\/p>\n

Merchant-Masonbrink said she thinks microcystin exposure is underreported. \u201cSome people go to the lake to go swimming, they take their picnic, and they start vomiting after they\u2019ve been swimming and ate a little bit,\u201d she said. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cWell we think that a lot of this is underreported because people are attributing it to the bad potato salad that they had in their lunch or the alcohol they were drinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two forms of algal neurotoxins, anatoxin-a and saxitoxin, can also be found in U.S. lakes. Saxitoxins are commonly associated with paralytic shellfish poisoning and can have the same paralytic effect on humans if ingested in high enough dosage. \u00a0\u00a0Anatoxin-a has been called \u201cVery Fast Death Factor\u201d due to its quick killing potential from respiratory paralysis when one ingests a lethal dose.<\/p>\n

\"Toxicity

Toxicity of algal toxins compared with other substances. Click to expand. (Credit: Nate Christopher)<\/p><\/div>\n

Algal toxins are mainly a threat in recreational waters. Tests of finished water at drinking water plants rarely show levels of algal toxins. \u201cReally, what we\u2019ve seen so far is that the water suppliers are adequately treating the water so that we\u2019re not getting those toxins in the finished water,\u201d said Merchant-Masonbrink.<\/p>\n

Algae are separated out by a water treatment plant\u2019s solids removal processes before the cells can break down and release toxins. Toxins that make it through are usually removed by chemical treatment later in the cleaning process.<\/p>\n

As for swimmers and water sport participants, there is currently no way to test for toxins before taking a dip. Ohio EPA alerts people to algal blooms and their latest testing results, but only covers state park lakes where workers have witnessed blooms.<\/p>\n

A method for testing for some algal toxins may be on the market within a few years. \u00a0The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, a non-profit research institute, has developed a novel on-site algal toxin test. \u201c(The) test is based on antibodies that detect the presence of algal toxins,\u201d said Liisa Hakola, a VTT Senior Scientist who worked to develop the test.<\/p>\n

The test has been verified to detect microcystin and can reliably detect it at 40 parts per billion, double the World Health Organizations suggested threshold for recreational water use. \u00a0Hakola said the test can detect microcystin at 20 parts per billion, but the accuracy at that level is still in question.<\/p>\n

Cost for the test should be relatively low as mass production costs less than $1.50 per test. \u00a0Hakola said VTT is working to find partners to commercialize the test. It may make it to the U.S. depending on VTT\u2019s partners.<\/p>\n

For now, Merchant-Masonbrink said people should remember that if they see a bloom at their local swimming hole, \u201cWhen in doubt, stay out.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information on algae in Ohio, see the Ohio EPA\u2019s algae information for recreational waters website.<\/p>\n

Top image:\u00a0Lake Erie algal bloom 2011 (Credit: Brenda Culler \/ Ohio Department of Natural Resources)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ohio regulators are still in the early stages of understanding how to keep the public safe from algal toxins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":10518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[60,125,181,342,343],"class_list":["post-14629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lakes-reservoirs","tag-featured","tag-great-lakes","tag-lake-erie","tag-ohio-state-university","tag-stone-lab"],"remote_post_permalink":false,"remote_post_featured_image":false,"yoast_head":"\nOhio regulators still working to understand algal toxins<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ohio regulators are still in the early stages of understanding how to keep the public safe from algal toxins.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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