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High Toxicity of Algae Jeopardizes Drinking Water
Washington, Oct 25 (Prensa Latina) Safe standards of drinking water, aquatic organisms and ecosystems are being jeopardized due to an apparent increase of algal blooms in world freshwater lakes and estuaries.
Climatic change and raising nutrients are the main causes of the situation.
According to Science magazine, those aspects lead to an increase of stumps that produce cianobacteria toxins in harmful algal bloom which also represents a greater hazard for swimming, canoeing and other entertainments.
Cianobacteria are very ancient microorganisms that produced the needed oxygen to prepare the path of evolution in land life.
Nevertheless, there are some toxic species like Microcystis sp that may survive in brightly lit spaces and oxidative environments, which makes very difficult their eradication.
Specialists consider that dams, rising temperatures, rising carbon dioxide concentrations, droughts and increased runoff of nutrients from urban and agricultural lands, worsen the problem.
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