Direct contact with algae can cause irritation to the skin, eyes, ears, nose and mouth. To be safe, people and pets should avoid water affected by algae. Do not use untreated algae-affected water for drinking, showering or washing. Boiling algae-affected water does not remove toxins.
Algae-affected water may not be suitable for drinking, recreation or agricultural use. Contact with affected water can cause skin irritation, mild respiratory effects and hayfever-like symptoms. Ingesting toxins can cause gastroenteritis symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and headaches.
Skin contact
Touching water with a harmful algal bloom can cause rashes or other skin irritation. You or your animals might have skin contact by swimming, wading, or doing other activities in the water.
While green algae might not be toxic, it's not the most striking to look at and could even affect water flavour or that of coffee made from the water. The important thing is ensuring the water bottle has been placed in the least lighted area with almost zero penetration of sunlight.
People should suspect that harmful blue-green algae blooms could be present in water that is noticeably discolored or that has surface scums. Colors might include shades of green, blue-green, yellow, brown, purple, white, or red.
Use chlorine. Chlorine is good at slowing the growth of algae. You should add four parts of the chlorine for every thousand parts of water. When you do not use too much chlorine, the water is still potable and will not taste bad.
Drinking algae-affected water or consuming food (such as fish or shellfish) containing toxins can lead to gastroenteritis, which can induce vomiting, diarrhoea, fevers and headaches. These toxins may also affect the liver or nervous system. If you are concerned for your health, see your GP immediately.
While green algae is non-toxic, it can affect the smell and taste of the water.
Fill bottle with diluted vinegar, shake and leave overnight. Next day discard and rinse out with water. Air dry with lid off. *Once clean and dry, store empty water bottles with the lid off.
Symptoms of liver poisoning may take hours or days to show up in people or animals. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Kidney toxicity & Neurotoxicity. These symptoms can appear within 15 to 20 minutes after exposure.
Boiling will kill algae but in doing so will release toxins into the water. In fact some toxins become more dangerous as a result of boiling the water.
ESSENTIAL TAKEAWAYS
The most common type of algae in drinking water is blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, which produces dangerous toxins called cyanotoxins. Consuming cyanotoxins can cause symptoms like headache, fever, diarrhea, muscle weakness, dizziness, and liver damage.
Elevated nutrient levels and algal blooms can also cause problems in drinking water in communities nearby and upstream from dead zones. Harmful algal blooms release toxins that contaminate drinking water, causing illnesses for animals and humans.
If your pitcher is left in a warm or sunny area, the algae that is in the filter or in the filtered water may start to grow. This is most likely to happen if your filter has been in use for longer than the recommended 40 gallons or two months.
How long does the water stay fresh? Once a bottle is opened and in use on your cooler, the water is best enjoyed 30 days. Your cooler is also designed so the water doesn't come into contact with the air until it's released from the taps, helping it maintain its freshness.
It's important for the tank to have remained clean and not compromised so that a build-up of algae or other contaminants have not affected the quality of the water. If the water is contaminated then it is unlikely to be suitable to drink, and doing so is not a risk that is worth taking.
Mix 1 cup of distilled white vinegar with 3 cups of hot water and pour this into the reservoir of the cooler. (Gloves may come in handy here, especially if you have sensitive skin.) Wipe the inside of the reservoir clean using this solution and a microfiber cloth.
Clear jugs left in sunlight in a warm room will soon develop a greenish hue — that's algae. While algae in a dirty water cooler may not have the same adverse health effects as harmful bacteria, it can still make your water smell, look, and taste unpleasant.
Add bleach: To disinfect and remove algae, use bleach with a sodium hypochlorite strength around 7% and add 35mL (about 1.2 ounces) for every 100 gallons of stored water. This fix will only be temporary and will need repeating about once a week or so depending on the rate of algal growth.
The appearance of HABs varies widely: blooms usually appear in various shades of green or blue – but may also be red, pink, white, gray, or purple. The texture of blooms may resemble spilled paint, green globules, surface scum, foam, floating mats, or grass clippings.
Blue-green algae in sources of drinking water
Boiling water will not destroy algae toxins and could actually increase toxin levels. Simple treatment options are also not effective; multiple treatment steps are typically needed to remove algae toxins.
Algae can multiply quickly in waterways with an overabundance of nitrogen and phosphorus, particularly when the water is warm and the weather is calm. This proliferation causes blooms of algae that turn the water noticeably green, although other colors can occur.
In a clean quart container about half full of water, put 1 to 1 1/2 fluid ounces (2-3 tablespoons) of a standard unscented, non-detergent household chlorine bleach (5.25% concentration) for every 500 gallons of water to be treated. Pour the bleach solution directly into the storage tank.