Following years of inaction on the Clean Water for Iowa Act, one Iowa lawmaker is looking to advance several smaller bills that would improve monitoring and strengthen permit requirements for large industrial farms.
This year marked a record number of state beach closings due to microcystin, a liver toxin produced by cyanobacteria, more commonly called blue-green algae. What are the risks for people, pets and livestock that come into contact with the toxin? And why are we seeing more of it at Iowa beaches?
This year, Iowa’s state-owned beaches set records for the number of health advisories issued for high microcystin levels. Microcystin is a liver toxin that can form from cyanobacteria, commonly called blue-green algae. Test your knowledge of algae and microcystin in Iowa lakes.
That paint-like scum that covers some Iowa lakes every summer isn’t just gross and smelly. People, pets, and livestock coming into contact with or ingesting toxins produced by the algae are at risk to symptoms including skin rashes, gastrointestinal issues and, in high doses, liver failure.
Only certain strains of cyanobacteria can produce toxins, although they don’t always do so. “Scientists generally agree that the cyanobacteria evolved this ability to produce toxin either as a competitive advantage or as some sort of protection,” Mary Skopec, who heads the Iowa Department of Natural
