A DEADLY toxin created by algae has been found leaking into the air for the first time ever, according to a new study.
If breathed in by humans and some animals, it could cause paralysis and even death.
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Climate change and farming practices are thought to be changing a natural blue-green algae process resulting in a toxin called Very Fast Death Factor appearing in the air.
Scientists also call the toxin anatoxin-a (ATX).
The first author of the new study, James Sutherland from the Nantucket Land Council, explained: “ATX is one of the more dangerous cyanotoxins produced by harmful algal blooms, which are becoming more predominant in lakes and ponds worldwide due to global warming and climate change.”
US scientists think this is the first time this toxin has been present in the air as well as the water.
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It’s already been linked to the deaths of livestock and some dogs that drank contaminated water.
Very Fast Death Factor can be produced by blue green algae blooms growing in warm, still water.
Toxins are sometimes produced when harmful algal blooms (HAB) lowers oxygen levels in water.
When blooms die, the microbes that consume them use up even more oxygen and can create toxic dead zones in lakes.
A team of scientists theorised that harmful algal blooms could leak toxins into the air and conducted an experiment at Capaum Pond in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
The pond is well known for its algae problems.
Samples were collected from the water and air between July and October 2019.
On a windy and foggy day in September the harmful ATX toxin was found in the air.
Sunderland said: “People often recreate around these lakes and ponds with algal blooms without any awareness of the potential problems.
“Direct contact or inhalation of these cyanotoxins can present health risks for individuals, and we have reported a potential human health exposure not previously examined.”
The scientists aren’t sure how the toxin ended up in the air but think the wind might have something to do with it.
The area requires further investigation but it seems staying away from any lake with harmful algal blooms is a good idea, even if you’re not going into the water itself.
A full study has been published online in Lake and Reservoir Management.
What is toxic algae and how does it harm animals and humans?
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
