Emergency departments in the Toledo, Ohio, area have seen increased visits, possibly due to toxins in the local water source, according to a report from The Blade.
Unprecedented blue-green algae blooms have occurred in Lake Erie this summer, and warm temperatures, sunlight and farm runoff have exacerbated the problem, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The high concentration of algae has produced problematic levels of mycrocystin — a toxin that causes gastric distress and, in high enough quantities, liver damage — which has presented in municipal water sources fed from the lake.
ProMedica has seen increased visits at its Toledo, Flower and St. Luke's Hospitals, all in the Toledo area; Mercy Health System saw more ED patients at its St. Anne's and St. Charles Hospitals and St. Vincent Medical Center; and University of Toledo Medical Center also reported an increased number of water-related ED visits. In total, the hospitals saw more than 100 ED patients with potentially mycrocystin-related complaints on Aug. 2 alone.
While locals ran into problems dealing with the potentially toxic water, all of the hospitals have backup water sources for navigating this and related water-compromising scenarios. Toledo's mayor had issued a water ban to protect the health of the city's residents, though as of today the ban has been lifted.
The magnitude of the algal bloom hasn't been seen since the 1970s and may indicate that Lake Erie, on which Toledo is located, is again developing a serious pollution problem, according to the report.
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