Source: Earth911 Podcast

Cyanobacteria algal blooms are a growing problem worldwide. As humans use more fertilizer and the climate warms, freshwater lakes are more likely to be overwhelmed by these essential but deadly bacteria. Earth911 talks with Eyal Harel, CEO of Israel-based BlueGreen Water Technologies Ltd about the causes and adverse impacts of blue-green algal blooms. Cyanobacteria produce oxygen during the day, but at night consume so much oxygen that fish and other lake life die off until the bacteria controls almost all available resources.

Blue-green algal blooms are an example of the fragility of the balance within natural systems. Without cyanobacteria, an early source of atmospheric oxygen, life would not exist on Earth. When it takes over a lake, however, it can cause brain, liver, intestinal, and skin inflammation, as well as emit airborne toxins related to a rising incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease and other illnesses. Harel explains how farm runoff and warming climates have contributed to algal blooms globally, even in the Arctic.

BlueGreen Water Technologies makes a treatment, LakeGuard, that can suppress algal blooms without toxic byproducts. With more than 60 million lakes in the world facing an increased risk of cyanobacteria infestation, you’ll want to spend a half-hour to learn about the problem, remediation, and ways of preventing blooms by changing farming and lawn care practices to reduce phosphorus levels in freshwater lakes. To learn more about BlueGreen Water Technologies, visit staging.bgtechs.com.