Cyanobacteria: Zion National Park’s Waterways Contaminated with Toxic Bacteria
The National Park Service reported this week that toxic microorganisms have been found in multiple bodies of water in Zion National Park, Utah.
Based on the Park Service, three bodies of water in the park contain cyanotoxins: the northern Fork of the Virgin River, North Creek, and La Verkin Creek. These toxins are produced by cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, a type of bacterium.
The algae is prevalent in ponds and lakes and is not always harmful, but it can produce cyanotoxins when it forms large blooms.
Indications of cyanotoxin exposure in humans include irritation of the eyes, ears, sinuses, throat, or skin, along with headache, convulsions, vomiting, and diarrhea. Indications consist of drooling, low energy, lack of appetite, paralysis, and regurgitation in animals and pets.
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The Proliferation of Cyanobacteria
In the opinion of Ramesh Goel, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Utah, climate change and pollution contribute to the proliferation of cyanobacteria.
Goel stated that nitrogen and phosphorus found in polluted water promote the growth of blue-green algae. Fertilizer runoff as well as lingering pollutants in treated effluent both contribute to the discharge of excess nutrients into rivers and lakes.
The National Park Service has warned visitors not to swim or submerge their heads into the affected Zion waterways as well as not to consume any park water.
The alerts and warnings include The Narrows and Emerald Pools, as well as other popular areas of the park.
If exposed, individuals ought to seek immediate medical care and contact poison control or 911, according to the NPS.
The National Park Service attributed the blooms in Zion to a prolonged absence of floods, which has enabled cyanobacteria to proliferate rapidly and unchecked.
Source: NBC
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