Toxic Algae, etc.

[ABikerSailor]

I think this issue should be handled at the state level. Each state should decide their own counters for this problem.

Only problem with that is that rivers and creeks don't recognize state boundaries. Runoff from a state upstream is going to have an impact on states downstream. It's just how water works.

 

[badger2]

1 hour ago Ft. Pierce, Florida
Blue-green algae task force focuses on septic system fixes

 

[ABikerSailor]

One of the things that a lot of scientists are saying is that because the waters off of the east coast have warmed quite a bit, that is what is causing the algae to grow as much as it is.

Not only is the warmer water causing a problem with algae, but the lobster industry in Maine is going to lose out to Canada.

 

[Muhammed]

Browsing the Comments show that a legacy of pollution is being left for future generations:

Toxic Algae 2019


Toxic Algae 2016
www.usmessageboard.com/threads/toxic-algae-spreading-in-florida-toxic-democrats-do-nothing-obama-silent.5074061/

Didn't this election smell bad enough already? A hazmat team had to be called on Tuesday when a Democratic National Committee bus dumped raw sewage in Georgia's Gwinnett County, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. A worker at an auto parts store called the cops when he saw the bus—which had images of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine on the side and the slogan "Forward Together"—dump sewage onto the roadway and into a storm drain, 11 Alive reports.

NBC News Radio
The news you want, when you want it
The DNC apologized for "an honest mistake," saying it has spoken to the charter bus company involved and will work with state and local officials "to determine the best course of corrective action."

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WTF?????????????


How can, literally dumping human shit, into the street, be "an honest mistake"?

Hey Democrats, you motherfuckers still have not explained this shit.

WTF!!!????


While "getting out the Latino vote" (aka illegal alien vote) in Georgia, you Democrats literally shit on Georgia!

Please explain why you Democrats condone the illegal dumping of of raw sewage into US waterways!

You fucking hypocrite watermelon scumbags do not and never will give a fuck about clean water!

Why don't you just admit it?

 

[badger2]

1 hour ago.
Toxic Algae Kills 3 Dogs
Dogs in 3 states have died from same toxic algae blooms in N.J. What you need to know.

 

[badger2]

At least California's media reported that the toxin that was killing sea lions was domoic acid. In an example of the lack of science in reporting, there is

9 Aug 2019 Wilmington, N.C. (WECT News 6) A Warning to Pet Owners: Toxic Algae Kills Three Dogs in a Matter of Hours
(URL will function if typed in the spacebar)
wect.com/2019/08/09/warning-pet-owners-toxic-algae-kills-three-dogs-matter-hours/

Already setting up a legacy fund, but no information is given to the people about exactly what cyanobacteria and toxin killed the dogs, leaving the donator's dogs also susceptible to the toxin in, what?, all fifty states? What is the toxin that killed the dogs and how can that be verified?

 

[badger2]

16 Sept 2019 Lake Mendota, Wisconsin. A massive pea-soup algal bloom along the shoreline, and by now it is obvious that those who have the means to produce water analysis results in published form for the public are keeping the identity of algae and/or toxins to themselves. This Wisconsin-esque anal-retentive esoterica, unlike California's transparency with domoic acid and sea lions, is an arrogant form of stewardship occurring on North America's most studied lake. Thus since spring, Dane County residents have not been informed of any carcinogenic chemistry produced by these algae nor the species that produce them, even though beaches were closed due to cyanobacteria.

For acute poisonings, some background is here:

Acute animal and human poisonings from cyanotoxin exposure - A review of the literature. - PubMed - NCBI
'....In 1878, Francis (1878) described sudden livestock and domestic dog deaths in South Australia, noting that they occurred following ingestion of water from a lake containing a cyanobacterial bloom....The dose given to the sheep proved fatal. Reports of further poisonings followed from the U.S. (Arthur in 1887, Cotton in 1914, Fitch et al in 1934, Nelson in 1903, Porter 1887, Stalker 1887) amd Canada (Gillam 1925, Howard and Berry 1933).

The inability to determine the exact cause was due to a variety of reasons, including the absence of a visible bloom, the failure to collect or a delay in collecting appropriate specimens for analysis, and a lack of awareness of cyanobacteria as a source of the toxins. Incidents have been reported involving bees in Australia (May and McBarron, 1973), giraffes in South Africa (Harding and Paxton 2001), bats in Canada (Pybus et al 1986), flamingos in Spain (Alonso-Andicoberry et al 2002), Yaks in Bhutan (Dahal 2000), deer in Norway (Handeland and Oestensvik 2010) and sea otters in U.S. (Miller et al 2010).
....
Release of toxins was often triggered by treatment of cyanobacterial blooms in the supply reservoir with copper sulphate.....One of the earliest reported incidents was documented by Heise (1949) in the U.S. A patient reported recurring episodes of asthma, conjunctivitis and nasal irritation after swimming....Asthmatic symptoms and swelling also occurred after the patient was given intra-cutaneous injections of the lake extract. The scum was shown to be comprised primarily of cyanobacteria.'

 

[badger2]

The Governor of Wisconsin gutted the DNR. The sequelae of this act may not even matter is no information about toxic algae is given to the public. This week's algae bloom on Lake Mendota has now disappeared in some locations and the water is clear. This does not alleviate the problematic. Citizen science should begin to do its own monitoring, and part of this trajectory could include an independent testing lab funded by concerned citizens so that the public has a second opinion regarding neurotoxins and carcinogens. The key is to consistently monitor ratios of these toxic species and their fluctuations as well as have pertinent data on their genome regarding which strains are toxin producers.

Acute animal and human poisonings from cyanotoxin exposure - A review of the literature. - PubMed - NCBI
'....toxins can still be present in the water and pose a health risk even after the bloom has dissipated and is no longer visible.'

 

[badger2]

We have already corrected one of the common mistakes in this epidemiology: samples were been collected during the bloom. This will allow amateur citizen scientists to potentially identify the target algae to genus if not to species.

 

[RodISHI]

Something most people do not realize is that federal regulations, etc. are regulated by the state agencies. That is not to say that states cannot set tighter standards and rules of their own, It is up to the people to make sure that they have state legislators and regulators that will protect the environment that they all must live with.

 

[badger2]

Ironically, Lake Mendota, the most studied lake in North America, sports a Tong Family Marina precisely where one algal bloom occurred this week. A sign at that location reads: "No Private Boats."

Aug 2019 Florida, Microcystin Intoxication of Canines
Diagnosing Microcystin Intoxication of Canines: Clinicopathological Indications, Pathological Characteristics, and Analytical Detection in Postmort... - PubMed - NCBI

Some of us are clued up about the interest of China concerning liver cancer, as these algal toxins such as microcystin are also occurring in that country. Microcystin is a causal agent:

Sept 2019 China, Hepatocarcinogenesis / Microcystin
Epigenetic inactivation of LHX6 mediated microcystin-LR induced hepatocarcinogenesis via the Wnt/β-catenin and P53 signaling pathways. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[badger2]

Microcystin is also linked to neuroblastoma, a brain cancer. The Wnt pathway, however, concerns most all types of cancer. Choose one and investigate the connection at Pubmed.

 

[RodISHI]

Microtoxins in grains are also an issue. I've seen greenish mold in animal fat and in chicken livers. It can even be in the meat just not seen ny the naked eye.

Accumulation of Microcystin-LR in Grains of Two Rice ... - MDPI
MDPI - Publisher of Open Access Journals › pdf
by MM Wijewickrama - ‎2019
Jul 24, 2019 - Abstract: The potential transfer of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) to humans via crop plants irrigated with MC-contaminated water is causing serious ...

 

[badger2]

Sept 2019 China, Microcystin in Vegetable Fields
High ecological and human health risks from microcystins in vegetable fields in southern China. - PubMed - NCBI
'....celery....'

Muck-grown U.S. celery may be applicable.

Aug 2019 Nigeria, Microcystin
Assessment of microcystin contamination of Amaranthus hybridus, Brassica oleracea, and Lactuca sativa sold in markets: a case study of Zaria, Nigeria. - PubMed - NCBI
'....cabbage, leuttce, Amaranthus....'

 

[badger2]

Author: MM Wijewickrama
Accumulation of Microcystin-LR in Grains of Two Rice Varieties (Oryza sativa L.) and a Leafy Vegetable, Ipomoea aquatica. - PubMed - NCBI

URL will function if typed in the spacebar:
mdpi.com/2072-6651/11/8/432/htm

 

[badger2]

Microscopes are not that expensive, and should be employed by civic groups/citizen scientists wishing to establish tentative identifications of potentially threatening algal communities. This volume shows what some Microcystis species colonies look like, on p. 90:

'Microcystis Kuetzing ex Lemmermann (Fig. 11). This genus has irregular micro- or macroscopic colonies that are free-floating, compact or clathrate, may be composed of clustered subcolonies, and has sparsely or densely, irregularly arranged cells. The mucilage is fine, colorless, and diffuse or distinctly delimited, sometimes forming a wide margin around the cells (rarely with indistinct structures), or delimited along cell agglomerations. Cells are spherical or hemispherical after division and pale blue-green, but they appear brownish due to aerotopes (gas vacuoles) that mask the blue-green color of the protoplast. Cells are 0.8-9(9.4) micrometers in diameter and have no individual mucilaginous envelopes. Cell division is by binary fission in three perpendicular planes in successive generations. The daughter cells grow to the original shape and size before the next division.

Based on current revisions, about 25 planktonic species are known worldwide, and many form dense blooms in eutrophic waters (Reynolds CS, Walsby AE, Water Blooms [1975] Biological Review 50: 437-481). Because many strains (species) are toxic, Microcystis is one of the most important cyanobacteria in limnological studies (Gorham PR, Carmichael WW [1988] Hazards of Freshwater Blue-Greens (Cyanobacteria in Algae and Human Affairs, Cambridge University Press, pp. 403-431; Chorus I, Bartram J, Toxic Cyanobacteria in Water, Spon, London, 461 pp.). Several species have been recorded in North America, including toxic forms of M. viridis, M. aeruginosa, and M. ichthyoblabe. In a few North American species, including M. natans, M. smithii (as Aphanocapsa pulchra), M. flos-aquae, and M. wesenbergii, toxicity has not been recorded or definitely proved. Identification of species is difficult and further taxonomic investigation is needed.

At least 50% of the species in the genus are restricted to tropical and subtropical regions . Of these, M. comperei was described from Cuba and other species probably occur in southern locations. M. glauca, recorded from the United States by Smith (1950), and other species (denoted Polycystis firma, P. pulverea, and P. marginata) were recorded from North Carolina by Whitford LA and Schumacher GJ [1969] A Manual of Freshwater Algae in North carolina, North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin 188: 1-313, but they are taxonomically uncertain.'
(Freshwater Algae of North America: Ecology and Classification)

 

[badger2]

Microcystins are implicated in killing dogs.

Sept 2018 Microcystins / Menasha, Wisconsin (44 degrees 13 ' N, 88 degrees 26' W)
Analysis of cyanobacterial metabolites in surface and raw drinking waters reveals more than microcystin. - PubMed - NCBI
'....Some evidence suggests that microcystins can cross the blood-brain barrier acting as a neurotoxin affecting learning and memory....chronic low-dose exposure to microcystin may contribute to the burden of liver and colorectal cancers in some populations. Mechanistic studies of phosphatase inhibitors have shown that tumor production is due to cellular signaling pathway disruption. Some of these TBP's ("toxic or otherwise bioactive peptides") may be considered emerging cyanotoxins.'

The phosphatase inhibitors mentioned above link to the irony of post #22 in this thread: pasteurization destroys the alkaline phosphatase in milk, while bovine run-off from farms increases the phosphorus content in lakes and the slavery of the local environment continues at the microscopic level:

Enslavement in the water body by toxic Aphanizomenon ovalisporum, inducing alkaline phosphatase in phytoplanktons. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[badger2]

The reader is invited to peruse related stories at the bottom of this article. Seemingly, neither the identity of the dog-killing species nor its chemistry has been given to the general public, even though the report undoubtedly has a proven identity of the algae, which would by default also identify the chemical toxin:

20 Sept 2019 Dog-Killing Toxic Blue-Green Algae Found at Popular York County Greenway Lake
(URL functions if typed in spacebar)
thestate.com/news/state/south-carolina/article235309897.html
'....Algae that's proven fatal to dogs was detected.'

 

[badger2]

Microcystin, a toxin from the blue-green alga Microcystis aeruginosa, was known as a "fast death" agent.

'The fast-death factor in Microcystis aeruginosa NRC-1 is an acidic, probably cyclic peptide....There have been numerous reports of suspected poisoning by fresh-water algae from many parts of the world during the last 80 years. However, reports of attempts to isolate and characterize the toxins from poisonous algal growths are much less numerous. These are limited to 6 publications....Olson was the first to isolate and culture a unialgal strain of M. aeruginosa which was found to be toxic (Olson TA, Proceedings of inservice training course in water works problems. The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. Feb 15 and 16, 1951 [mimeographed bulletin]). His strain apparently had very low toxicity and he concluded that the very large quantities of algae required for the study of the toxin could be obtained most economically from naturally occurring blooms.

More recently, Hughes, Gorham, and Zhender have reported the isolation and unialgal culture of another strain of M. aeruginosa, designated NRC-1, which is much more toxic. An endotoxin produced by this strain causes fast deaths when injected intraperitoneally into white mice....In addition to the fast death factor (FDF), Hughes et al detected the variable presence of a slow-death factor (SDF) in their cultures. They suggested that the source of SDF might be bacterial contaminants.....The properties shown in Table 1 indicated that extraction with methanol or 95% ethanol should remove the toxin from the cell wall material and that it could be further purified by dialysis.....After 40 hours, over 60% of the toxin had dialyzed through the membrane. Further dialysis for 90 hours against a fresh change of water removed another 15%, prolonged dialysis eventually removed all of the toxin from the non-dialyzable material.

The symptoms of intoxication by the toxic peptide....resemble those of certain neurotoxins....mice injected with a lethal dose of the pure toxin invariably died within 1.5 hours and most of them within 50 minutes. This provides additional proof that the FDF and SDF produced by this strain of Microcystis are different toxins. No evidence of SDF was found in the present work even though the algae were contaminated with bacteria suspected of being the source of this factor.....it is interesting that the peptide studied here was "homeomeric" i.e. made up of only amino acids, and although toxic to animals displayed no antibiotic activity.'
(Bishop CT, Gorham PR (Division of Biology, National Research Council, Ottawa, Canada; Anet EFLJ, Division of Food Preservation, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Homebush, N.S.W., Australia, Isolation and Identification of the Fast-Death Factor in Microcystis aeruginosa NRC-1, Canadian Journal of Physiology, 37:453-471 [1959])