skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Harmful Algae on the Rise in U.S.

play audio
Play

Monday, June 27, 2016   

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Algal blooms in bodies of water across the nation are increasing as a result of climate change, farming practices, storm and wastewater runoff and other environmental issues.

They're naturally occurring, but produce toxins that get into the air, water or food, and can cause illness in humans and pets.

They also deplete the oxygen in water, and that kills fish, mammals and birds.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a new website with public information about harmful algae, and is asking state and local health departments to keep track and report the blooms.

CDC epidemiologist Virginia Roberts says they're easy to spot – most of the time.

"The slimy green stuff, sometimes it will look like thick paint in the water,” she explains. “There are multiple colors that it can be. You can find algae and algal blooms in fresh water, in salt water. They're often very visible, but sometimes you don't even see them there."

When the blooms get into drinking water, it causes it to have weird odor, often musty or earthy smelling.

The Arkansas Department of Health requires samples of public drinking water be taken and storage tanks to be well maintained.

Roberts says breathing in these toxins can cause coughing or respiratory problems, and swimming in water with a harmful algal bloom can cause skin rashes.

People also can get sick from eating fish or shellfish or drinking tap water contaminated with the toxins.

"We don't have a lot of data to really pinpoint where across the country that this is the biggest issue,” Roberts says. “So this system will be able to collect information that will inform our understanding of where blooms occur, how frequently they occur and whether they're more or less of a problem over time."

Roberts adds the algal blooms cause a huge financial hit to the country in health care costs for people and animals that have been exposed.

The fishing industry loses $38 million a year, and the recreation and tourism industries also lose millions every time a body of water is closed because of too much algae.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
Iowa families can apply for up to $7,600 a year for private school costs. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An ethics committee in the Republican-led Iowa House has dismissed a complaint filed by a group of community activists against a state lawmaker for hi…


play sound

Each spring, hundreds of thousands of California high school seniors have to figure out if they can afford to go to college in the fall - and two new …

Social Issues

play sound

South Dakota is creating an Office of Indigent Legal Services after House Bill 1057 passed the Legislature with nearly unanimous support this month…


Data show Oak Ridge residents pay $2.67 million in taxes toward nuclear weapons programs. (fizkes/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A Knoxville-based environmental group is voicing concerns over what it sees as an increasing financial strain imposed on taxpayers by nuclear weapons …

Social Issues

play sound

This year's high school graduates will be eligible for 14,000 new scholarships offered through Opportunity Next Colorado, a $21 million investment …

The new law will apply only to future sales of Indiana farmland. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A bipartisan law set to take effect this summer prohibits foreign adversaries from buying Hoosier farmland. The signature of Gov. Eric Holcomb was …

Social Issues

play sound

Today, people across Arizona are voting in the Presidential Preference Election, a chance for registered Democrats and Republicans to choose their …

Environment

play sound

Traffic deaths are trending higher in Minnesota this year after a decline the previous year. Groups pushing for safer roads are convinced a small …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021