Facts/Links Page

OVERVIEW
Very short article by US EPA:  http://epa.gov/ncer/events/news/2009/03_03_09_feature.html

 Here is a website developed by 5 middle-school age kids due to their concern of a lake in Washington state, near them.  They won a State Championship for their research on this subject.
The Olympians (Olympia,WA)  http://www.thebluegreenalgae.com/cyanobacteria.php

Wikipedia
Lyngbya:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyngbya
Swimmer’s Itch (dermatitis):  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimmer%27s_itch
Cyanobacteria:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanobacteria

SYMPTOMS KNOWN TO BE CAUSED BY CYANOBACTERIA LYNGBYA
Confirmed symptoms from exposure to water from Lake Atitlan containing cyanobacteria:  skin irritation and rash.

From BioRemediate: http://www.bioremediate.com/lyngbya.html   
Lyngbya: This is a  species which is particularly troublesome to control using traditional copper sulphate and chelates. They grow in colonies forming small spongy masses of mucilage. These blue-green, black or gray clumps made up of thousands of individual cells will lie on the bottom or float to the surface. Because of its protective mucilage, chemical control is difficult.
Lyngbya is one of the groups of cyanobacteria that are of special concern. This long, hair-like organism is a filamentous alga that can form large benthic (on the bottom) and surface mats (blooms). Lyngbya normally grows in dense mats at the bottoms of nutrient enriched lakes and spring fed systems. These mats produce gasses during photosynthesis that often causes the mats to rise to the surface. At the surface, winds pile the algal mats against shorelines or in navigation channels; these mats can be several acres in size. Lyngbya is one of the cyanobacteria that are known to release toxins into the water. 

Greenwater Labs  - CyanoLab:

Cyanotoxins are water-soluble compounds that can be categorized, into 4 distinct groups:

In general, cyanotoxins are found inside healthy algal cells and thus are not directly bioavailable within the aqueous environment. Algal blooms, however, are usually transient in nature, and as algae die their toxins are released into the surrounding environment.  Cyanotoxins are relatively stable compounds and, depending on environmental conditions, can persist for weeks to months.  (pg. 1-2, http://www.greenwaterlab.com/newsite/articles/JLARM07.pdf).

PRELIMINARY REPORT on cyanotoxins from Lyngbya hieronymusii bloom at Lake Atitlan.
Samples collected November 8th from four locations around the lake.
The following toxins were analyzed: Dr. Puschner’s lab at UC Davis: anatoxin-a and microcystins LR, LA, YR and RR
(results not available yet)
Green Water Laboratories in Florida: lyngbyatoxin (LT), debromoaplysiatoxin (DAT), aplysiatoxin (AT), cylindrospermopsin (CYN), and saxitoxins (STX)
Results:

Sample

CYN levels

(ng/g)

STX levels
(ng/g)

AT levels
(ng/g)

DAT levels
(ng/g)

LT levels
(ng/g)

Lyngbya hieronymusii

     ≈ 12

      ≈ 58

ND

ND

ND

ND = not detected
To put the results in a perspective: The dense patches of Lyngbya in Atitlan contained about 100-200 mg of dry weight (DW) of Lyngbya per liter, which, assuming that all the toxin is released to the water, would results in the concentrations of : ~1.2 to 2.4 ng/L of CYN and ~5.8 to 11.6 ng/L of STX.
The “non-patch” Lyngbya density was about 0.05 to 0.1 mg DW/L, i.e., at least 3 orders of magnitude less.  Based on the RS images, the dense patches covered about 37% of the lake surface and the lake is on average 170m deep.  The really dense layer was not very deep, in -5, to -10m depth, Lyngbya density was in 0.05-0.1mg DW/L range.
The concentration is 3 to 6 orders of magnitude lower than what the Brazilian Legislation recommends as the maximum concentration for potable water (3 and 15 ug/L for saxitoxin equivalents and cylindrospermopsin, respectively (FUNASA, 2004).

The detected values can be classified as “trace amounts”, i.e., the bloom does not produce enough toxins to represent a health risk; fish and crab meet should be tested.  As the bloom start dying off, the water samples should be tested.(Webmasters Note - there have been many confirmed cases of severe dermatitis reported by people who came in contact with lake water during cleaning activities at the blooms peak.)

GUATEMALA’S COMPREHENSIVE ACTION PLAN – RECOVERY OF LAKE ATITLAN AND ITS ENVIRONMENT

Cost of the Comprehensive Action Plan is a minimum of Q310,000,000 (about $38,750,000 USD).

Article 97 of the Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala States:

    "The State, municipalities and the inhabitants of the country are obliged to promote the social, economic and technology that prevents pollution of the environment and maintaining ecological balance. It will dictate all the rules necessary to ensure that the use and exploitation of wildlife, flora, land and water, are made rationally, avoiding predation."

Decree 133-96 establishes and empowers AMSCLAE, as the entity responsible for planning, coordination and implementation of measures and actions of public and private sector are necessary to conserve, preserve and protect the ecosystem of Lake Atitlan and its areas surrounding. Also, a budget is allocated to ensure operation and investment in the necessary actions. This allocation may be increased by donations, efforts and financial and technical assistance nationally and internationally.

Based on these legal authorities, the Vice President has proposed 32 actions to address the urgent social and environmental problems in the Lake Atitlan Basin (see map for size of the Basin).   These are broken down into 5 areas:

  1. Agriculture:  Goal is sustainable food for generations.
    1. Gradual ban on inorganic phosphate fertilizers by Government Agreement.
    2. Immediate prevention and control of coffee processing water disposal.
    3. Strictly control forest use and ban additional logging licenses.
    4. Effectively implement a National Strategy to enforce illegal logging and forest products.
    5. Establish an office to prosecute crimes against the environment. 
    6. Prioritize the launch of Rural Development Program in Solola.
    7. Implement a strategy to prevent forest fires.
    8. Governmental Agreement for timetables to transport timber.
  2. Sanitation:  The 2 most significant problems are (1) drinking quality water for the municipalities with priority of San Pedro La Laguna, San Lucas Toliman, Santiago Atitlan and Panajachel; and (2) the basin-wide reduction wastewater discharge.
    1. Provide each municipality with a water filter and provide training for the efficient use for human consumption and to monitor water quality.
    2. Construction of septic tanks.
    3. Construction of 15 water treatment systems to include waste phosphorus reduction.
    4. Immediately closure and clean up of all unauthorized and illegal landfills.
    5. Reuse/recycle of plastic, paper, glass, metals and other products; produce fertilizer from organic solid waste.
    6. Household toilet use, training and sewage collection.
  3. Infrastructure:
    1. Emergency inter-agency monitoring of earthworks.
    2. Geographic monitoring system of activities.
    3. Strengthen and control the environmental monitoring of approved assessment instruments.
    4. No construction without environmental assessment done by MARN.
  4. Tourism:
    1. An information campaign through the Ministry of Communication of the President and Vice President of the Republic.
    2. Establish a Corporate Social Responsibility Program by purchasing preferential organic products produced in Solola to encourage the reduced use of agrochemicals and strengthen the local market.
    3. Sustainable use of land for small holders using a compensation mechanism for reducing nutrients into the lake.
    4. Bring the issue of cyanobacteria up at the Copenhagen Climate Change conference in 12/09.
  5. Social:
    1. Change attitudes and behaviors towards natural goods and services of Lake Atitlan and its environment.
      1. Disseminate quality information to the public about Lake Atitlan in accordance with cultural and gender perspectives by strengthening local organizations of COCODE and COMUDE to encourage local organization, population, health and employment. 
    2. Coordinate education about Lake Atitlan and its environment.
      1. Immediately conduct two information campaigns and radio outreach in 5 languages:  Tzutujil, Quiche, Cakchiquel, Spanish and English.
      2. Explanatory sign campaign with the most relevant characteristics about Cyanobacteria and exhort people to participate to help.
      3. Inter-agency coordination to conduct meetings to identify possible agreements and commitments short term and submit those findings to the Cabinet.
      4. Develop 11 workshops for information on Cyanobacteria, the impact of climate change and the need for the public to participate in solving the problem at Lake Atitlan and its surroundings.
    3. Replace soaps and detergents from inorganic to organic, starting with the government making laws to prohibit the use of inorganic soaps to immediately reduce the entry of phosphates into the Lake.
  6. Institutional:
    1. Develop a regulatory framework for implementing priority actions under Development of Regulation of the Law 133-96.
    2. Creation and implementation of procedure manuals for operation, administration, technical and legal.
    3. Approval for assignment of Budget 2010 AMSCLAE by Q13,800,000 (about $1,725,000 USD).
    4. Involvement of the people and communities in the lake basin to achieve changes necessary in the shortest time possible.

NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Assoc.,

Home Page Lots of info if you navigate around this site http://www.whoi.edu/redtide/page.do?pid=9257
Lyngbya is a toxic marine cyanobacterium (blue-green algae) which forms clumps or mats of fine strands that attach to seaweed and rocks. Through the accumulation of gas bubbles mats can rise to the surface to form large floating mats, which can wash up on beaches often mixed with seagrass.

Exposure to Lyngbya can cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation. People who have come into contact with Lyngbya may complain of a stinging, burning or itching sensation within minutes to hours after exposure. Affected areas may appear red and swollen, and small blisters may form. In severe cases, affected skin may peel off.  Reddening and swelling of the conjunctiva of the eye and the mucous membrane of the nose may also occur if those parts of the body have direct contact with Lyngbya.

Because of the potential for severe irritation, boaters should avoid swimming or wading in areas where Lyngbya is growing or floating in the water and should not have direct contact with material washed onto the beach.
Freshwater blooms  http://www.whoi.edu/redtide/page.do?pid=15775

DRINKING WATER FILTRATION
Conventional water treatment involving coagulation-sedimentation, dual-media filtration and chlorination needs to be augmented with either granular activated carbon or powdered activated carbon filtration which can remove up to 80% of the toxins from raw water.  But a residual concentration often remains which allow humans to be exposed to low level of toxin during the cyanobacterial blooms. 

Chlorination doesn’t achieve any reduction in the toxins.  (See PDF pg. 18:  http://www.myfloridaeh.com/medicine/aquatic/pdfs/Cyanobacteria_200208_Pgs037-073.pdf).

Cyanobacterial toxins vary tremendously, but most of the toxins are released as the cells age and die.  (See PDF pg. 24:  http://www.myfloridaeh.com/medicine/aquatic/pdfs/Cyanobacteria_200208_Pgs037-073.pdf).

PROBLEM IS WORSENED BY USING COPPER SULPHATE:  Do not use Copper Sulphate in waters that are used for human consumption because it causes algae to release its toxins, making the water unusable for weeks – see PDF page 17:  http://www.myfloridaeh.com/medicine/aquatic/pdfs/Cyanobacteria_200208_Pgs037-073.pdf

OTHER LAKES OR RIVERS AFFECTED BY CYANOBACTERIA – LYNGBYA
Clear Lake, Lake County, Northern California 2009  (Clear Lake is now and oxymoron for this lake).  http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090809/ARTICLES/908099985
Washington State lakes with toxic blooms this summer, 2009 – 2 lakes closed to recreational use:  http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090913/news/309139989

One of the Great Lakes of the US - Lake Erie:  http://detnews.com/article/20091010/METRO/910100364/Massive-algae-blooms-threaten-Lake-Erie
http://www.westernlakeerie.org/Lyngbyawollei.html   This may be a different strain of Lyngbya than Lake Atitlan. 
http://www.westernlakeerie.org/lyngbya_rodgers_presentation.pdf    PDF of a PowerPoint Presentation by John H. Rodgers Jr., Clemson University – pages 16-21 apply to Lyngba which may be of a different type than in Lake Atitlan – will be determined by further testing.
St. James River, Florida:  http://www.greenwaterlab.com/newsite/articles/UNF-FDOH-GWL%202006%20finalrpt.pdf
At pg. 2:  The neurotoxins, anatoxin-a and the saxitoxins, are fast acting toxic compounds produced  by species of Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, Cylindrospermopsis and, possibly, by Lyngbya. These toxins can be acutely toxic and can cause respiratory failure (Fitzgeorge et al., 1994; Fawell and James, 1994; IPCS, 1984).
At pg. 9:  Higher total biomass could equate to higher toxin production. Under certain environmental conditions, namely calm, static and drought conditions, toxin production could be greater at depth than at the surface further emphasizing the need to monitor both surface and deeper waters.

PRODUCTS THAT MAY HELP
Water Shed Options to control Cyanobacteria:  This is several pages long.  Each page deals with the pros and cons of each option available to control Cyanobacterial in water supplies.  http://www.dlwid.org/Projects/Cyanobacteria%20Control%20Comparison%20Table.pdf

GOOD NEWS USE FOR CYANOBACTERIA AS BIO-FUELS
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/uota-nsf042308.php
http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_releases/cyanobacteria_the_big_bang_of_evolution_could_save_our_energy_future