During summer in central New York, residents often enjoy a refreshing dip in the region’s peaceful lakes. But sometimes swimming is off-limits because of algae blooms that can make people sick. “Some of the algae may produce chemical toxins that can have harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, terrestrial and marine mammals, and birds,” says […]
By Grace Francese Outbreaks of potentially toxic algae are fouling lakes, rivers and other bodies of water across the U.S. Nationally, news reports of algae outbreaks have been on the rise since 2010. What’s worse, some algae blooms produce dangerous toxins called microcystins. The Environmental Working Group just released a report showing that microcystins have […]
Pet owners around the country are seeing their beloved canines perish after letting them cool off in waters harboring toxic algae. Dogs in North Carolina, Georgia and Texas have all died recently after swimming in waters covered in a harmful algae bloom, which is difficult to detect. “Your typical lay person will not be able […]
Less than a week after the official start of summer, New Jersey’s largest lake was shut down by state officials due to a harmful algae bloom. Now, well into the heart of summer, Lake Hopatcong remains closed. And, several other lakes that have seen their waters turn green due to a rise in cyanobacteria have […]
By Donald Scavia Every year in early summer, scientists at universities, research institutions and federal agencies release forecasts for the formation of “dead zones” and harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico, the Chesapeake Bay and Lake Erie. This year the outlook is not good. The dead zone that forms annually in the Gulf […]
If you’re looking to cool off in the waters of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, think again. A toxic algal bloom has made the waters dangerous to humans and their pets. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has shut down swimming at all of its beaches due to a blue-green harmful algal bloom, according to CNN. Toxic […]
By Anne Schechinger Over the Fourth of July holiday, many of us love to beat the heat in a favorite lake, pond or river. But this year, vacationers from coast to coast will have to look out for a potentially record-breaking number of algae blooms. So far this year there have been news stories about […]
By Valerie Vande Panne In February, the voters of Toledo, Ohio, passed a ballot initiative that gives Lake Erie and those who rely on the lake’s ecosystem a bill of rights. The idea is to protect and preserve the ecosystem so that the life that depends on it — humans included — can have access […]
There are growing concerns about both the safety and proliferation of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto‘s Roundup weedkiller. Those concerns are part of the reason that the city of Miami passed a unanimous resolution last Thursday banning the spraying of glyphosate by city departments or contractors, environmental group Miami Waterkeeper reported. “Banning the use […]