Summer is here and we’ve already experienced some hot days in Oregon, and people seeking out local lakes and rivers to play in. While enjoying all of Oregon’s beautiful waterways, it’s important to watch out for what are called cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms, or cyanoHABs for short. A mouthful to say, but don’t get a mouthful of this stuff, it contains harmful toxins.
Lauren and Dylan talk to staff with DEQ and Oregon Health Authority about how to be stay alert when it comes to cyanoHABs. Step 1: sign up for alerts for when OHA confirms there are cyanoHABs in the water.
DEQ and OHA talk about why cyanoHABs form, what they look like and what safety precautions to take. Remember, cyanoHABs can be harmful to people and pets, and you can’t filter them out with a regular water filtration system or by boiling.
The voices in the episode are:
- Gregg Baird, OHA emerging contaminant specialist.
- Aaron Borisenko, DEQ water quality monitoring manager.
- Curtis Cude, OHA environmental surveillance program manager.
Listen to the podcast on: SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.
SHOW NOTES
- Introduction
- Discussion with DEQ and OHA on cyanoHABs [2:50]
- What are cyanoHABs and who do they matter? [3:35]
- Health impacts of cyanoHABs on people and pets [4:50]
- Where do cyanoHABs come from, what causes them? [6:40]
- When does OHA issue advisories for cyanoHABs? [8:20]
- What to do if you think you see cyanoHABs? [13:20]
- Monitoring in public drinking water systems [16:10]
- CyanoHABs and water while camping [17:05]
- What are DEQ and OHA doing to better understand and predict cyanoHABs? [21:00]
- If your dog is showing symptoms of exposure to cyanoHABs [23:10]
- Main takeaways [22:35]
- Wrap-up [29:20]
RESOURCES
Links for DEQ and OHA cyanoHABs resources.
- OHA cyanoHABs webpage: healthoregon.org/hab
- DEQ work on cyanoHABs: ordeq.org/habs
- Sign up for alerts on cyanoHABs
- OHA recreation advisories for cyanoHABs
- CyanoHABs frequently asked questions
- Tell OHA if you see potential cyanoHABs by emailing a photo to hab.health@state.or.us or call at 1-877-290-6767. (Remember to take a close up and farther back photo)