The researchers have warned dog parents to stop their animals from ingesting toxic algae which can prove fatal for them.
In a new study, it was found that blue-green algae expands in ‘blooms’ across lakes and rivers and changes the colour of the water making it a vibrant green colour and the water gets an earthy or musty smell.
The researchers carried out the test of the algae which was present on the shore of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland and found how disgusting such blooms can be.
In the tests carried out on the blooms, many of them were found filled with bacteria which was primarily related to faeces from humans and livestock.
Institute of Global Food Security, Queen’s School of Biological Sciences lead author Dr Neil Reid said, “These results confirm Lough Neagh as “hypertrophic” which is the worst category of waterway nutrient pollution, indicative of decades of agricultural, industrial and domestic runoff.”
Blue-green algae create a unique class of toxins which even impact humans: Study
According to scientists, the blue-green algae is present almost everywhere water is present but is known to thrive in warm and still bodies like ponds and lakes.
The algae also create a unique class of toxins which impact humans but nothing much is known about it.
The algae have been linked to the deaths of animals and high doses of the toxins can lead to liver damage and attack the nervous system in humans.
The blooms in reservoirs and lakes have led to the sickening of hundreds of people and officials in some areas have been routinely closing the bodies of water and putting warning signs.
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“Our results are consistent with claims of faecal contamination of Lough Neagh and its tributaries, most likely from farm livestock and human-effluent wastewater treatment plants,” said Dr Reid.
A combination of nutrient analysis, satellite imagery, gene sequencing and toxin profiling to characterise the unprecedented harmful algal bloom has been used by the researchers.
“No one wants our environment full of potentially nasty bacteria and harmful toxins, so we need to look forward and prioritise ecological restoration and recovery,” Dr Reid added.
(With inputs from agencies)