Algal Toxins in Iowa s Water. Mary P. Skopec, Ph.D. Executive Director Iowa Lakeside Laboratory Regents Resource Center

Transcription

1 Algal Toxins in Iowa s Water Mary P. Skopec, Ph.D. Executive Director Iowa Lakeside Laboratory Regents Resource Center

2 Cyanobacteria a.k.a. Blue-Green Algae A quick primer 1 Billion years and going strong Photosynthetic bacteria Can produce green, blue, red, or brown pigments Found in fresh and salt water Many can fix nitrogen (not all) Resting spores Mobile regulate buoyancy Can harvest nutrients from sediments Toxins with >100 variants Black Hawk Lake, August 2014

3 How Toxic are Cyanotoxins? Acute Toxicity Cytotoxic Dermatoxic Hepatotoxic Neurotoxic Rattlesnake Venom Tabun Chronic Toxicity Carcinogen Tumor promotor Mutagen Teratogen Embryolethality Neurodegenerative disease Sarin Soman Ricin Slide Courtesy of Keith Loftin, USGS After Chorus and Bartram, 1999; various references

4 Impacts of Cyanotoxins and Harmful Algal Blooms Human and Animal Health Risks Hypoxia and Fish Kills Water Treatment Costs Lake Aesthetics Clarity & Smell Quality of Life Recreational Opportunities Property Values Tax Revenues Employment

5 Harmful Algal Blooms are a Nationwide Issue Graham and others, 2016, USGS OFR

6 Cyanotoxins Are Detected in All Types of Waterbodies Throughout the Nation Graham and others, 2016, USGS OFR

7 History of Toxic Algae in Iowa In 1944, an Anabaena bloom in a lake in the Okoboji chain of lakes in Iowa was blown onshore and caused fatal poisoning of pigs and at least one dog that drank from the lake 1 Backer et al, Toxins 2013, 5, ; doi: /toxins Pigs Die after Drinking Water from OKOBOJI. Vindicator and Republican. Oct 19, 1944.

8 Storm Lake in Iowa experienced dramatic bloom events in 1952: associated with Anabaena flos aquae blooms were estimated deaths of 5 7,000 gulls, 560 ducks, 400 coots, 200 pheasants, 50 squirrels, 18 muskrats, 15 dogs, 4 cats, 2 hogs, 2 hawks, 1 skunk, 1 mink, plus numerous songbirds. Rose E.T. Toxic algae in Iowa lakes. Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci. 1953;60:

9 2. Lake Water not Only Made Dog Sick It Killed Animal! LeMars Globe Post. Dec 11, Firkins, G.S. Toxic algae poisoning. Iowa State Coll. Vet. 1953, 15,

10 Source: Iowa Cattleman

11 History of Bloom Monitoring Carter Lake, IA June 2004 Big Creek State Park, June 2005

12 Sampling Protocol Sampling Design o Focus on beaches o Weekly samples o Total microcystin o Composite and Discrete (scum) samples o Designed as survey with rapid turnaround o Allows for public health decisions to be made o 20 g/l total microcystin threshold level established o Samples collected Monday/Tuesday o Results usually available Thursday afternoon

13 No Stage 1 No algal toxin-related advisories Sample result >2000 ug/l total microcystins? No Sample result >20 ug/l total microcystins? Yes Sample collection and analysis Yes Iowa Advisory Policy (2016) Three-tiered advisory policy: Based on results from both composite and discrete samples Stage 1 (no algal toxinrelated advisories) Stage 2 (advisory) - sample result exceeds 20 µg/l total microcystins Stage 3 (closure) toxin result > 2000 µg/l; reported health case(s). Stage 2 Post Warning sign; IDPH notified Stage 3 Beach closed; press release issued. Yes Sample collection and analysis Yes Sample result >20 ug/l total microcystins? No Sample result >2000 ug/l total microcystins?

14 Public Notification o General information signs o Park staff notified o post advisory signs o Iowa Department of Public Health HAN o IDNR Beach Monitoring website o Beach Monitoring Hotline o Press releases

15 # of Advisories Advisory Summary in Iowa 40 ( )

16 # of Lakes Number of Lakes with Advisories ( )

17

18 Illness Surveillance othe Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) is responsible for tracking illness in humans attributed to microcystin poisoning oreporting of suspected cases of microcystin poisoning required of health care providers othe IDPH works cooperatively with local health care partners in this tracking process olocal county environmental health olocal network of health care providers

19 Number of Suspected Cases of Microcystin Poisoning Reported to IDPH Four of 2011 cases were at a triathlon

20 Complaint Type ( )

21 Solutions?

22 Slide: Hans Paerl; UNC;

23 An increasing number of studies finding that BOTH nitrogen and phosphorus reductions are needed Bioavailability of both N and P during the summer plays a key role in sustaining cyanobacterial blooms Xu, H., H. W. Paerl, B. Q. Qin, G. W. Zhu, and G. Gao Nitrogen and phosphorus inputs control phytoplankton growth in eutrophic Lake Taihu, China. Limnology and Oceanography 55: Xu, H., Paerl, H.W., Zhu, G. et al. Hydrobiologia (2017) 787: 229. doi: /s Long-term nutrient trends and harmful cyanobacterial bloom potential in hypertrophic Lake Taihu, China. 3. Conley, D. J., H. W. Paerl, R. W. Howarth, D. F. Boesch, S. P. Seitzinger, K. E. Havens, C. Lancelot & G. E. Likens, Controlling eutrophication: nitrogen and phosphorus. Science 323: Paerl, H. W., N. S. Hall, and E. S. Calandrino. 2011a. Controlling harmful cyanobacterial blooms in a world experiencing anthropogenic and climaticinduced change. Science of the Total Environment 409: Paerl, H. W., H. Xu, M. J. McCarthy, G. W. Zhu, B. Q. Qin, Y. P. Li, and W. S. Gardner. 2011b. Controlling harmful cyanobacterial blooms in a hyper-eutrophic lake (Lake Taihu, China): The need for a dual nutrient (N & P) management strategy. Water Research 45: Beaulieu Marieke, Pick Frances, Gregory-Eaves Irene, (2013), Nutrients and water temperature are significant predictors of cyanobacterial biomass in a 1147 lakes data set, Limnology and Oceanography, 58, doi: /lo

24 Nutrient Goals National Lake Assessment (1,2) Total Nitrogen 1100 ug/l Total Phosphorus 87 ug/l Region 7 (3) Lake Benchmarks Total Nitrogen 700 ug/l Total Phosphorus 35 ug/l 1. Yuan, L. L. and Pollard, A. I. (2015), Deriving nutrient targets to prevent excessive cyanobacterial densities in U.S. lakes and reservoirs. Freshw Biol, 60: Yuan, L. L., Pollard, A. I., Pather, S., Oliver, J. L. and D'Anglada, L. (2014), Managing microcystin: identifying national-scale thresholds for total nitrogen and chlorophyll a. Freshw Biol, 59: doi: /fwb Jun.pdf

25 Iowa DNR Lake Monitoring Program (138 lakes) Median Nitrate 1900 ug/l Median Total Phosphorus 78.3 ug/l A long way to go.. Nutrient Goals

26 # of Impairments 75 Lakes

27 30 North Raccoon River near Sac City (Sac Co.) 25 Nitrate+ Nitrite-N (mg/l) Year

28 Health Information Acknowledgements Stuart Schmitz, M.S., P.E. State Toxicologist Iowa Department of Public Health (515)

29 Questions? Mary P. Skopec, Ph.D. Executive Director Iowa Lakeside Laboratory: Regents Resource Center University of Iowa Rock Creek Lake August 18, 2006