Residents of Toledo banned the use of tap water due to algae bloom Bashny.Net

Residents of Toledo, Ohio, recently received notice of the prohibition of the use of water from the tap. This decision was taken by the city authorities due to contamination by toxins produced due to the rapid bloom of algae in lake Erie, which is the source of water supply of Toledo.

At the moment, no drinking water was more than 400 thousand people, mostly residents of the Western parts of the city and its suburbs, which were also warned not to boil water from the tap because it only leads to the increase in the concentration of the toxin microcystin. Environmentalists suggest that the algae bloom was caused by uncontrolled runoff into the lake phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers with the farmers.





Chemists to test water samples in wastewater treatment plants of the city, confirmed that in a liter contains more than 1 microgram of microcystin, the limit values set by who for drinking water. The local branch of the red cross said that the toxin if ingested may cause nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and can also affect the functioning of the liver, but is rarely fatal to humans. And the County health Department added that such water can be used for washing hands and showering. However, the city government of Toledo has released a statement calling on restaurants and other point of catering not to use tap water for washing dishes.

Last Saturday, Governor John Kazich imposed a state of emergency in three districts of the state in connection with pollution of water, which gives public service the right to send to the affected areas clean water in the necessary volume. Were also mobilized National guard soldiers to assist the proliferation of bottled water in Toledo.

As stated by the emergency management Agency of Ohio, after declaring a state of emergency, the leadership of the supermarket chain Kroger on Saturday took the decision to send 1.25 million bottles of drinking water in the district stores and free allocated to the residents of 4800 3.7-liter bottled water.

Source: www.ozemle.net