# Blue-Green algae bloom contamination of water suppy



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

I belong to a yahoo group called *PrepJr.* and there was a thread there about rapidly increasing blue green algae bloom contamination to our water supplies and the danger it presents to potential drinking water, worldwide.

I want to post the information I found there because I think it is certainly in the realm of something for all of us to be aware of. You could have millions of gallons of water, but if it is contaminated with blue green algae, it is untreatable, undrinkable, toxic and a huge problem.

*The following is the information from that thread in that group. Everything after this comes from that. I have tried to clean it up and I hope I have not messed up anything in the message. I would like to give credit where credit is due, but the best I can give is someone named Randal. Randal, if you come across this, please let us know.*

Blue-green algae blooms have been increasing rapidly worldwide. Some brief
review of info. found on the web will show that there are no readily
identifiable treatment methods for the homeowner to purify water during a bloom.
Boiling water containing the algae actually releases more toxins making it even
more dangerous. Waters contaminated should not be used for bathing, recreation, lawn/plant watering, pets, etc. It is a risk that has been on the increase, especially with the increasing number and severity of droughts throughout the U.S. and the world in general. I began looking for what may be available concerning what we may do to prepare should our daily or "back-up" water supplies become contaminated with blue-green algae. There is very little available, however there are some complicated combination methods (which I quote here) that may work. The bottom line is that 1. water is absolutely essential;
2. water bodies are becoming increasingly contaminated by blue-green algae; 3. Conventional water purification methods are ineffectual in treating water
contaminated by this algae. Again, to emphasize, I have seen an ever
increasing number of lakes (of which about 60% of U.S. potable water is taken
from), rivers, etc. have been contaminated with no end in sight. The medical
conditions triggered by the consumption of water contaminated with this algae are numerous and severe. I would be very interested if anyone has given this some thought, done any research or found any remedial methods for treating water contaminated with blue green algae.

You may want to do a google search for "treating blue green algae potable" to get a more in depth understanding of this ever increasing problem for preppers and the population in general. The following are excerpts from various websites, primarily government, which may be of interest. The first article from the CDC provides a general background. Specific remedies and related are found near the end of the text. I have included web addresses in case you want to refer to the entire study / document.

God bless you and yours during this New Year!

Randal

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Harmful Algal Blooms: Cyanobacteria: Cyanobacteria and CyanoHABs Facts | CDC HSB
FACTS ABOUT CYANOBACTERIA AND CYANOBACTERIAL HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS

Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)
Cyanobacterial blooms and how they form
What a cyanobacterial bloom looks like
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs)
Other effects of fresh-water CyanoHABs
Species of cyanobacteria that form CyanoHABs in fresh water
Cyanotoxins
How you could be exposed to CyanoHABs and cyanotoxins
Types of illnesses people and animals can get from exposure to CyanoHABs
Testing for cyanobacterial toxins
How to protect yourself, your family, and your pets from exposure to
CyanoHABs
How to treat people or animals that have been exposed to cyanobacterial toxins
How to help reduce the occurrence of CyanoHABs
How to get more information about cyanobacteria
References
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, grow in any type of water and are photosynthetic (use sunlight to create food and support life). Cyanobacteria live in terrestrial, fresh, brackish, or marine water. They usually are too small to be seen, but sometimes can form visible colonies, called an algal bloom. Cyanobacteria have been found among the oldest fossils on earth and are one of the largest groups of bacteria. Cyanobacteria have been linked to human and animal illnesses around the world, including North and South America, Africa, Australia, Europe, Scandinavia, and China.

Cyanobacterial blooms and how they form

Cyanobacterial blooms (a kind of algal bloom) occur when organisms that are normally present grow exuberantly. Within a few days, an bloom of cyanobacteria can cause clear water to become cloudy. The blooms usually float to the surface and can be many inches thick, especially near the shoreline. Cyanobacterial blooms can form in warm, slow-moving waters that are rich in nutrients such as fertilizer runoff or septic tank overflows. Blooms can occur at any time, but most often occur in late summer or early fall.

They can occur in marine, estuarine, and fresh waters, but the blooms of
greatest concern are the ones that occur in fresh water, such as drinking water reservoirs or recreational waters.

What a cyanobacterial bloom looks like

Some cyanobacterial blooms can look like foam, scum, or mats on the surface of fresh water lakes and ponds. The blooms can be blue, bright green, brown, or red and may look like paint floating on the water. Some blooms may not affect the appearance of the water. As algae in a cyanobacterial bloom die, the water may smell bad.

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs)
CyanoHABs are algae blooms that threaten people, animals, or the environment.

They are dangerous for many reasons:

Dense CyanoHABs can block sunlight and use up all the oxygen in the
water, killing other plants and animals.
Some cyanobacteria that can form CyanoHABs produce toxins that are among the most powerful natural poisons known. These toxins have no known antidotes. CyanoHABs can make people, their pets, and other animals sick. Often, the first sign that an HAB exists is a sick dog that has been swimming in an algae-filled pond.
Children are at higher risk than adults for illness from CyanoHABs
because they weigh less and can get a relatively larger dose of toxin.
Other effects of fresh-water CyanoHABs
CyanoHABs can make drinking water smell and taste bad.
They can make recreational areas unpleasant.
Species of cyanobacteria that form CyanoHABs in fresh water
Microcystis aeruginosa

Anabaena circinalis
Anabaena flos-aquae
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae
Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii.

Cyanotoxins
Cyanotoxins are a diverse group of chemical substances that are categorized by their specific toxic effects as follows:

Neurotoxins affect the nervous system.
Anatoxin-a
Anatoxin-a(s)
Saxitoxin Neosaxitoxin 
Hepatotoxins affect the liver.
Microcystins Nodularins
Cylindrospermopsin Tumor promoters are chemicals that can increase tumor growth.
Microcystins Lipopolysaccharides are chemicals that can affect the gastrointestinal
system.

See Table 1 [opens in new window] for a list of cyanotoxins and their
specific toxic mechanisms, their effects, the symptoms they cause, and
treatments for poisoning.

How you could be exposed to CyanoHABs and cyanotoxins
Drinking water that comes from a lake or reservoir with a CyanoHAB.
Drinking untreated water.
Engaging in recreational activities in waters with CyanoHABs.
Inhaling aerosols from water-related activities such as jet-skiing or
boating.
Inhaling aerosols when watering lawns, irrigating golf-courses, etc. with pond water.
Using cyanobacteria-based dietary supplements that are contaminated with microcystins.
Receiving dialysis (this has been documented only in Brazil).
Types of illnesses people and animals can get from exposure to CyanoHABs

Getting it on the skin may give people a rash, hives, or skin blisters
(especially on the lips and under swimsuits).
Inhaling water droplets from irrigation or water-related recreational
activities can cause runny eyes and nose, a sore throat, asthma-like symptoms, or allergic reactions.
Swallowing water that has cyanobacterial toxins in it can cause:
Acute, severe gastroenteritis (including diarrhea and vomiting).
Liver toxicity (i.e., increased serum levels of liver enzymes). Symptoms of liver poisoning may takes hours or days to show up in people or animals.
Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Kidney toxicity.
Neurotoxicity. These symptoms can appear within 15 to 20 minutes after
exposure. In dogs, the neurotoxins can cause salivation and other neurologic
symptoms, including weakness, staggering, difficulty breathing, convulsions, and death. People may have numb lips, tingling fingers and toes, or they may feel dizzy.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Part 2*

Testing for cyanobacterial toxins
Most of the toxins require specialized testing that can take weeks.
Some kits are available to test for microcystins on site.
How to protect yourself, your family, and your pets from exposure to
CyanoHABs
Don't swim, water ski, or boat in areas where the water is discolored or where you see foam, scum, or mats of algae on the water.
If you do swim in water that might have a CyanoHAB, rinse off with fresh water as soon as possible.
Don't let pets or livestock swim in or drink from areas where the water
is discolored or where you see foam, scum, or mats of algae on the water.
If pets (especially dogs) swim in scummy water, rinse them off
immediatelyâ€"do not let them lick the algae (and toxins) off their fur.
Don't irrigate lawns or golf courses with pond water that looks scummy or smells bad.
Report any "musty" smell or taste in your drinking water to your local
water utility.
Respect any water-body closures announced by local public health
authorities.
How to treat people or animals that have been exposed to cyanobacterial
toxins
Get medical treatment right away if you think you, your pet, or your
livestock might have been poisoned by cyanobacterial toxins.
Remove people from exposure and give them supportive treatment.
How to help reduce the occurrence of CyanoHABs
Reduce nutrient loading of local ponds and lakes by using only the
recommended amounts of fertilizers and pesticides on your yard.
Properly maintain your household septic system.
Maintain a buffer of natural vegetation around ponds and lakes to filter
incoming water.

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Blue-Green Algae - Goulburn-Murray Water

Blue-green Algae Treatment Options

At present, there are few options for the treatment of blue-green algae
affected water.

Blue-green algae are very small and therefore they cannot be removed
manually.

Urban water authorities employ sophisticated treatment systems including
expensive activated carbon treatment to treat drinking water supplies.

Commercially available systems for treating individual household drinking
water supplies do exist, although these are not suitable for treating the large
volumes of water needed for livestock water supply.
Commercial systems for treating individual household water supplies can be
found by looking in the "Water Treatment and Equipment" section in the YellowPages.
Copper sulphates, or other copper based products, are often promoted as
algicides for use in farm dams. These products can have major ecological
impacts as they kill everything in the water, not just blue-green algae, and
should never be used in creeks, rivers or lakes. Algicides ideally need to be
applied before algae are in very large numbers and therefore don't fix the
problem in the long-term; also in the short term they can actually make the
problem worse, as the blue-green algae release toxins as they die. Specific
approval from regulatory authorities such as, but not limited to, the
Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is required for their use.

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Blue-Green Algae

Should I get treat a blue-green algae bloom with a chemical to get rid of it? No. Treatment of a surface water that is experiencing a blue-green algae
bloom with an herbicide or algaecide may kill the blue-green algae, but any
toxin(s) contained in the cells will be released at once, resulting in a slug of
toxin(s) in the water. So while the bloom may no longer be visible, toxin(s) may be present for some period of time following treatment. It is best to stay out of a water experiencing a bloom and wait for the bloom to dissipate on its own.
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http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/stdprodcon...resources/documents/resource/std01_079456.pdf

The treatment methods most commonly used by this sector are for the most part, ineffective.

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Extracellular Cyanotoxin Inactivation by Advanced *+Drinking Water Treatment Processes

http://www.epa.gov/cyano_habs_symposium/monograph/Ch13.pdf

(My note: based on the following, UV water decontamination methods are not "economically feasible" for removal of blue-green algae and its toxin
byproducts)
The absorbance of ultraviolet (UV) energy can break molecular bonds without chemical addition and is used to inactivate many pathogens in drinking water. Normally, the UV treatment process uses a low to medium pressure lamp with wavelengths between 200 and 300 nm. Commonly, in Chapter 13: Cyanobacterial Toxin Removal 28 the water treatment industry, the UV dose is expressed in milli-joules/cm2 (mJ/cm2). A dose of 40 mJ/cm2 for the inactivation of Crytosporidium parvum oocysts is considered economically feasible. Much work has been done on the photolytic destruction of microcystins, cylindrospermopsin, and anatoxin, but the UV doses that effectively degrade microcystin, cylindrospermopsin, and anatoxinâ€"a range from 1530 to 20,000 mJ/cm2 (Tsuji 1995, Chorus 1999, Senogles 2000), or several orders of magnitude higher than that needed for Cryptosporidium oocyst. Thus, UV irradiation is not considered economically feasible for cyanotoxin degradation.

(My note: From same website. Possible remedy for home use. See if you
understand what is required?) The use of titanium dioxide and UV photolysis together successfully degrades MCYLR and cylindrospermopsin (Lawton 1999, Feitz 1999, Cornish 2000, Senogles 2001, Sherpard 2002). Although this is not a cost efficient treatment process for utilities, it may be viable in point of use treatment (e.g., devices used in the home). The combination of hydrogen peroxide with either ozone or UV irradiation enhances the efficiency of microcystin destruction (Rositano 1998, Qiao 2005, respectively). With hydrogen peroxide at 0.1 mgL-1 and ozone at 0.2 mgL-1, 1 mgL-1 of
MCYLR was completely removed in 30 minutes (CT value of 6 mgL- 1min). However, more research on these combinations for the degradation of cyanotoxins is needed to assess their feasibility.

(My note: apparently some forms of reverse osmosis have worked to some
degreeâ€¦. See following): Extracelluar and Intracellular Cyanotoxin Removal by Filtration (other than GAC) Semi-permeable membranes such as those used in reverse osmosis filters remove many contaminants from water, especially those whose size is larger thanthe membrane pores. Advances in membrane technology have made this process moreversatile, dependable and economically feasible as a drinking water treatment process. Reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes remove all pathogens and also large molecules above the membrane pore size (100 Daltons for reverse osmosis, 200 Daltons for nanofilters). However, the membranes are not necessarily foolproof. When concentrations of the removed substance become sufficiently high traces of inorganic and organic compounds may pass through the membrane barrier. A reverse osmosis membrane study using between 10 ugL-1 and 130 ugL-1 of MCY LR, RR and nodularin removed greater than 95% of the toxin from waters with a range of salinities (Neumann 1998, Vouri 1997). A water with high conductivity such as brackish water may allow slightly greater breakthrough of cyanotoxins than otherwise (Vuori 1997). 2 J.A. Westrick 283 Several nanofiltration studies report from 82% to complete microcystin removal (Fawell 1993, Muntisov 1996, Simpson 2002, Smith 2002). Microfiltration and ultrafiltration use membranes with greater pore sizes than the membranes used in reverse osmosis and nanofiltration.
Ultrafiltration is capable of removing intact bacteria (including the cyanobacteria), but not all dissolved organic compounds (Fig. 1). Microfiltration, with its larger pore size, may not remove all intact bacteria and is not effective in removing dissolved organic compounds. Since 50% to 95% of the cyanotoxin is intracellular, ultrafiltration and (to a degree)
microfiltration are effective in removing intracellular cyanotoxins in drinking water
supplies.
Studies (Chow 1997, and Zhou 2001) suggest that both microfiltration and ultrafiltration either as a standâ€"alone treatment process or as a
replacement to conventional filtration are excellent at removing intact cyanobacteria and their intracellular toxins. With regard to conventional water filtration (coagulation, sedimentation, and then filtration), a bench top jar test apparatus and a full â€"scale pilot plant resulted in 70% and 99.9% removal, respectively, of Microcystis cells (Drikas 2001). This study suggests that conventional treatment is effective in removing
intracellular cyanotoxins. These studies reported very little cell breakage during the cell removal process, implying that the process did not cause significant intracellular cyanotoxin release.


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

The western Lake Erie Basin developed a bad blue green algee bloom last summer. It is attributed to fertilizer run off from the farm fields. We haven't seen the lake freeze over yet and we are getting later into winter, it was 55 here today. If the lake doesn't freeze over this winter there is concern that the algee bloom will increase faster next summer. The Walleye and Perch populations have been effected this last fishing season. Our city water plant had to buy more chemicals for purification to make it to the end of this year. They ran out.

I think that building a still to distill water will produce the safest drinking water in the future.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

sailaway said:


> The western Lake Erie Basin developed a bad blue green algee bloom last summer. It is attributed to fertilizer run off from the farm fields. We haven't seen the lake freeze over yet and we are getting later into winter, it was 55 here today. If the lake doesn't freeze over this winter there is concern that the algee bloom will increase faster next summer. The Walleye and Perch populations have been effected this last fishing season. Our city water plant had to buy more chemicals for purification to make it to the end of this year. They ran out.
> 
> I think that building a still to distill water will produce the safest drinking water in the future.


I like the still idea. I have thought that would be one way to render salt water drinkable, but that is a good idea in this instance, also.


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