more poisoned water, this time in Nebraska and Alaska

[donsu]

this from an email alert from RSOE HAVARIA

Neb.
Description:

The state issued a health alert for Iron Horse Trail Lake in Pawnee County on Friday, after toxic blue-green algae was discovered in its waters.A health alert also remained in effect for Fremont Lake Number 20, which had been on alert since early May.Samples taken July 2 at both lakes were above the state's health alert threshold of 20 parts per billion of the toxin released by the algae.Nebraska's Health and Human Services System said people can camp, fish, go boating and participate in other recreational activities on lakes under alert. But people should not have full-body contact with the water and they should not swallow it.Drinking toxin-tainted water can cause vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle pain, paralysis, respiratory failure and, rarely, even death. Pets and livestock are especially vulnerable.
----------------------------


Alas.
Description:

The Department of Environmental Conservation recently received reports of “red tide” sightings from waters and beaches around Kodiak, Juneau and Kachemak Bay.
DEC issued a warning to all shellfish harvesters to eat shellfish only from beaches DEC classifies as safe. The risk of paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) from clams and mussels is elevated during a red tide, DEC said in a press release.Red tides result from a rapid increase in algae populations due to favorable temperatures or excess nutrients in the water. Algae, a food source for filter-feeding shellfish like clams and mussels, can cause PSP. The algae are always present, but their reproduction accelerates in warmer water.Most shellfish store the toxins for up to six weeks after a red tide passes, but butterclams are known to store the toxins for up to two years. The toxins are not destroyed by heat or cooking and there is no known antidote.PSP occurs widely in Alaska and strikes people nearly every year. Alaska Department of Fish and Game fisheries biologist Jeff Barnhart said within the past decade, people in and around Kodiak have become ill and died from PSP.Hunters or fishermen visiting Kodiak may be at risk if they are unaware of the potential PSP in clams and mussels.PSP symptoms can appear in less than an hour after ingestion. Initial symptoms are a tingling or numbness in the lips and tongue, often followed by tingling or numbness in the fingertips and toes. These symptoms may progress to loss of muscle coordination, dizziness, weakness, drowsiness and incoherence.Vomiting should be induced at the first sight of symptoms and medical attention sought immediately.Barnhart said just because the water appears red, it doesn’t mean it is from toxic algae. Many algae species are red but not toxic. By the same token, the toxin may be present and show no outward sign.“It is a neurotoxin to humans but not to bivalves,” he said. “Bivalves filter the water and take (toxic algae) out. It’s food for them, but it builds up in their tissue and they can hold it.”Butterclams can ingest the toxic algae now and still be toxic to humans in January and February.“When people ingest it, because it’s a neurotoxin, it will shut down your central nervous system and you quit breathing,” Barnhart said.“The other thing you should not do when you eat clams from the wild that haven’t been tested is drink any kind of alcohol with them,” he said.Alcohol exacerbates and speeds up the toxic process.“I always tell people, eating clams around Kodiak is like Russian roulette. You never know if you are going to get hot ones or not,” Barnhart said.The State of Alaska Epidemiology Department said in a press release all Alaska beaches are at risk at all times.The DEC warning does not apply to commercially grown and harvested clams, mussels, crab, shrimp or other shellfish available in grocery stores and restaurants. These shellfish are tested regularly before marketing. Shellfish purchased from retail outlets come from tested beaches.DEC-classified safe beaches include: Halibut Cove Lagoon, Jakolof Bay, Kasitsna Bay (McDonald Spit), Tutka Bay, Chugachik Island, Sadie Cove, Polly Creek and Crescent River, all in the Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay area.
--------------------------------

[Annces]

1. This is a problem in Madison lakes due to use of phosphorus as a fertilizer

The lakes here are quite unfit for swimming.