2nd type of cyanobacteria in St. John River could be harmful to humans, researcher says | CBC News
A different type of cyanobacteria is popping up along the St.
John River this summer that could be harmful to humans, a researcher
warns.
John River this summer that could be harmful to humans, a researcher
warns.
Dr. Janice Lawrence, an associate professor of biology at
the University of New Brunswick, has been studying cyanobacteria, also
known as blue-green algae, along the river since the spring.
While
most cyanobacteria found in ponds or lakes will cause skin irritation
or gastrointestinal illness, the algae populations living at the bottom
of the St. John River are producing potent neurotoxins that can cause
immediate paralysis, suffocation and death in dogs and other vertebrates
but also pose a risk to people.
“We know that it’s toxic,” Lawrence said. “We just don’t know quite how toxic.”