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Plant
Identification -- Algae -- Toxic
Algae |
| TOXIC ALGAE |
| Death and sickness to
pets, livestock, wildlife and even man have
been attributed to the presence of certain algae,
mostly blue-green bloom-forming species, in water
supplies. Lethal substances produced by these algae
are retained within the cells and released after
death (endotoxin) or are secreted from living cells
(exotoxin). Much is still left to be learned about
the nature and origin of these substances. It is
important that water purification engineers,
livestock raisers, wildlife specialists, pond
owners and lake property owners are aware of this
potential danger. Many unattended farm ponds and
other waters contain some of these toxic forms,
posing a threat to human health and the
environment. Medical case histories, biologist
reports and laboratory tests show some of the
possible effects of toxic algae. |
Planktonic ("Pea Soup") Algae |
| HUMANS: A
list compiled by the U.S. Department of the
Interior Federal Water Pollution Control
Administration summarizes medical case histories of
algal poisonings for a 120 year period. Exposure to
and ingestion of algae caused a variety of
discomforts including: skin rashes, headaches,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, muscular pains
and eye, nose and throat irritation. |
| WILDLIFE: Severe ecological
disruptions attributed to overabundant toxic algal
species have been reported. For example, an Iowa
State biologist reporting on an algal bloom on
Storm Lake recorded the loss of thousands of
Franklin gulls, migratory waterfowl and
fish. |
| LIVESTOCK: The California
State Water Resources Control Board states in their
Water Quality Criteria Handbook (Second Edition):
“From many different parts of the world, including
the United States,there have been reports of rapid
deaths of a great variety of animals after drinking
water containing high concentrations of blue-green
algae such as Microcystis, Aphanizomenon, Nostoc
rivulare, Nodularia, Gleotrichia,
Gomphosphaeria and Anabaena. Fatal poisonings have
occurred among cattle, pigs, sheep, dogs, horses,
turkeys, ducks, geese and chickens, and also among
experimental animals such as rabbits, rats, guinea
pigs and mice. It is believed that such algae may
be toxic to all warm-blooded
animals.” |
Descriptions and pictures are from the book "How to Identify and Control Water Weeds and Algae", Edited by James C. Schmidt, 5th edition revised 1998, copyright 1976 Applied Biochemists. | | |
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