Danger for humans

Automatically stored draft

(Bild: kamaeraone)

Highly toxic bacteria have been discovered in a lake in the US state of Indiana, which is popular with day-trippers for boating, water skiing and fishing. The limit value is exceeded by a factor of 20 - parts of the lake should be avoided due to the health risk, warned the responsible authority. 

It was initially assumed that the green streaks running through Big Chapman Lake were a harmless algal bloom. However, investigations revealed that there were cyanobacteria in the water - these are also known as blue-green algae, although they are not actually algae. 

Risk of liver damage on contact with water
Cyanobacteria can produce the highly toxic toxin microcystin. "If it gets on your skin and the toxin level is high enough, it can cause a rash. In this case, you should wash it off immediately. However, if you ingest large amounts of it, the cyanobacteria are liver toxic and can affect your liver and ultimately cause liver damage," explained Matt Burlingame of the Lily Center for Lake and Streams.

Highly toxic broth: Big Chapman Lake(Bild: kamaeraone)

This toxin is not always produced. The microcystin threshold that is safe for humans is eight parts per billion, but lab results revealed a level of 160.4 parts per billion - 20 times the safe concentration.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Protection asked residents to refrain from using fertilizer at this time if it can be washed into water. If you discover anything suspicious in the lake, you should inform the authorities, who will then take a sample if necessary.