US scientists have found that the rapid flowering of cyanobacteria (or blue-green algae) caused by climate change and the flow of agricultural waste in the reservoirs, contributes to the ingress of deadly toxins into the atmosphere. This is reported by the Edition of Science Alert.
Blue-green algae is isolated by anatoksin-A (ATC), which causes difficulty breathing, muscle spasms, convulsions and can lead to death from stopping breathing. Cyanobacteria is intensively multiply in warm and rich in nutrients of water, for example, in lakes and ponds. Because of them, the level of oxygen dissolved in water is reduced, and after their death, hypoxia zones may occur, leading to the death of aquatic animals.
researchers found out that under certain conditions ATX can enter the air. In the period from July to October 2019, they collected samples both in the water itself and in the air at the edge of the Caum Pond in Massachusetts. September 11, 2019, when there was a wind and fog, the ATX years was detected in a rather high concentration, equal to 21 nanograms per milliliter. In addition, the toxin was present in the air in the middle concentration of 0.87 nanogram on the filter, which corresponds to 0.16 nanograms per square meter.
According to experts, direct contact or inhalation of these cyanotoxins may be dangerous to human health, especially those who rest near flowering reservoirs.