Swimmers Beware: Algae + Cyanobacteria

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Hello dear Poison Friends! We are back this week (a little late, forgive me) with an episode on some aquatic overgrowths that can just ruin a vacation...or seafood. In all seriousness, such bloom of these particular algae or cyanobacteria may lead to fish kills, the deaths of aquatic mammals and other wildlife, and the contamination of shellfish and seafood which causes illness in those eating them (birds, and yes, even us). Severe red tides have caused respiratory illnesses in some just being near the source and there are some algae species out there that are destructive to entire ecosystems. Along with being deadly to wildlife (and sometimes humans), these blooms cost various industries, including seafood and tourist industries, millions of dollars.

So I want to introduce to you some of the worst of the offenders that honestly start off innocent enough until they start overgrowing and produce toxins that can cause everything from GI issues to neurological syptoms, paralysis, and death due to respiratory failure. While these toxins directly affect the wildlife where they grow (this includes depleting the oxygen of the environment as well as poisoning it), it can harm predators and humans as they ingest shellfish or seafood in general. Shellfish poisoning may not sound like more than simple food poisoning (which itself is not always simple) but we are discussing a few different kind here including neurotoxic and paralytic shellfish poisoning among others. Also, I would be wrong not to include cyanobacteria in this episode, because, while it is not algae itself, it does compare in how it blooms, produces toxins, and affects entire ecosystems.

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