Northern Ohio Water Supply Declared Toxic: What Is Microcystin?


Over 500,000 people in Toledo, Ohio and parts of Michigan were told to stop drinking their tap water after high concentrations of the green and blue algae, which creates a powerful and sometimes fatal toxin called Microcystin, was discovered in the town’s water supply.

As reported in The Inquisitr, Ohio’s Governor issued the state of emergency on Saturday, which included a “Do Not Drink; Do Not Boil” warning, as boiling will not kill the microcystin toxin in the water. Ohio and parts of Michigan are going through careful testing to make sure that the toxin has been removed from the water supply.

The Los Angeles Times explained that two water samples taken from the water supply contained dangerous amounts of microcystin. According the Environmental Protection Agency, microcystin attacks the liver, and can cause mild diarrhea, dizziness and nausea. It can also irritate the eyes, skin and throat. As with all toxins, or poisons, concentrated amounts can prove deadly.

The toxin comes from another form of algae called cyanobacteria, which is the blue and green for of algae that grows in warm summer months, especially on calm or still water sources. Cyanobacteria is not harmful to humans or animals, but creates an off-putting earthy, moss-like taste. Officials believe that the cyanobacteria became the more-toxic Microcystin while still in Lake Erie, and then made its way to the northern Ohio water supply.

Dr. Robert Sherwin of the Detroit Medical Center told WXYZ News that nature isn’t the only culprit at play here. As taken from their report, Dr. Sherwin explained:

“When you have too many fertilizers or runoff in the water, it tends to make the algae bloom more aggressively. Drinking the contaminated water with microcystin can cause a number of symptoms including nausea, vomiting and dizziness – similar to the flu – that can show up within hours of consumption. You may think you just have a stomach bug or ate some bad food. The toxin can also be a skin and throat irritant and, in more serious cases, can attack the liver. If you’re exposed to it, there’s nothing specifically we can do to reverse that exposure.”

Dr. Sherwin went on to suggest that anyone who’s tasted the toxic water should watch for symptoms before going to the emergency room.

In response to the high-levels on the microcystin toxin in Northern Ohio waters, local grocery stores and Costcos have completely sold out of their bottled water supplies. Officials do not have a time table as to when the ban will be lifted, but just knowing that the microcystin toxin is there is enough to turn off even the most thirsty of Ohioan.

[Image Courtesy of International Business Times]

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