Algae blooms in the Great Lakes are only going to get worse.
That's one of the findings in a 115-page report by the International Joint Commission which examined the cause and effect of algae blooms along the impact on human health.
The study was launched after serious blooms in 2015 resulted in the closure of water intakes in Toledo and Pelee Island.
Canadian Co-chair of the IJC Health Professionals Advisory Board, Dr. David Buckridge, says this report is just the start of research that needs to be done. "We need to do more assessment of what's out there, how can we monitor it, what are the issues around drinking water intakes and when should we set off alarms bells that say we can see there are blooms occurring and we can tell they're occurring that will probably have human health effects."
"The problem is increasing with more and different organisms," says Dr. Buckridge. "The immediate issue in terms of exposure to these things right now is certainly a problem if you see a bloom. But also in terms of thinking of what happens in the next 10 years or so, in terms of how our drinking water systems deal with this, is a large and more complicated issue."
"If you do see these mats or bodies of foam or scum like this, don't let your dog go running into it, don't go swimming in it," says Buckridge. "If you do get exposed to that, rinse yourself off quickly with fresh water so that you can essentially rinse the toxins away."
Dr. Buckridge adds one of his biggest concerns is that we don't have a lot of the basic knowledge about what these different mix of organisms, and exposure to the toxins they produce, can ultimately cause. "We're a little flying blind in that sense. We do know it can be harmful but we don't really know exactly the types of harm or the level of exposures. That, as a scientist and a physician, concerns me."