Dogs owners in the southern U.S. are being warned to keep their animals away from ponds and lakes where blooms of blue-green algae caused the death of multiple dogs within hours after playing in the water.
NBC news reported that the dogs died after frolicking in ponds and lakes in Wilmington, North Carolina; Austin, Texas; and Marietta, Georgia. Several of the devastated owners took to social media to warn others about the deadly algae blooms. The city of Austin warned people not to swim in or expose their animals to the algae, the report said.
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Toxic algae blooms contain microcystins that can cause severe illness and death, most commonly in dogs and wildlife that swim in or drink from contaminated water sources such as freshwater lakes, streams and ponds. Microsystins are nerve toxins produced by freshwater cyanobacteria (blue-green algae).
Not all blue-green algae are toxic. Harmful blooms usually smell bad and resemble pea soup, green paint or floating mats of scum.
Unfortunately, toxic algae are often fatal to animals even with aggressive treatment. To play it safe, keep your pets away from any body of water that is greenish in color. If you think your pet was exposed to toxic algae, get them to a veterinary immediately.
In addition to your pets, you are also at risk if exposed to toxic blue-green algae. This could happen by swimming or wading in contaminated water, eating contaminated seafood, drinking contaminated water or even by breathing in contaminated mist from the water.
Contact with the toxic algae can cause fever, headaches, vomiting and seizures, and can lead to liver damage and create kidney, cardiac, reproductive and gastrointestinal effects.
For years, the locations and the sheer numbers of toxic blue-green algae blooms have continued to increase at an alarming rate across the U.S. There were approximately 60 news reports of algae blooms in 2010 and that number jumped to about 440 in 2018.
The rapid growth pattern could one day lead to lakes being declared unsafe and the banning of water sports and swimming.
Of course, giving up a recreational sport is one thing, but what about the effect it has on your drinking water? Surface water, which includes water in rivers, lakes, streams and reservoirs, is a major source of drinking water in the U.S. — one that can — and has — become contaminated by toxic algae.
Blue-green algae is especially evident in agricultural areas where the use of phosphorus-based fertilizers is prolific. A major source of phosphorus that appears to be driving the toxic algae growth to unprecedented levels is glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide. In addition, phosphorus, is often used for fuels in those areas.
For decades, the Great Lakes have been struggling with algae blooms due to manure, sewage and fertilizer runoff, as well as runoffs from glyphosate applications, leading to contaminated drinking water and fish die-offs.
Algae-triggered "dead zones" in Lake Erie are now larger than they've been since the '80s and cover 25% of the entire lake.
It’s a problem that will not go away on its own. On a larger scale, stopping the source of pollution by cutting excess runoff of fertilizer, dramatically reducing the use of synthetic fertilizer and better land-use management that addresses fertilizer runoff would be a good start.
On an individual level, you and your pets should avoid contact with lakes, rivers and other surface waters that could be contaminated and choose organic or biodynamically grown foods instead of those produced on CAFOs. Installing a water filter on your tap to help reduce or remove cyanobacteria is also an option.