8/6/25, 12:30 PM Toxic algae blooms are lasting longer in Lake Erie − why that’s a worry for people

hy that’s a worry for people and pets

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Toxic algae blooms are lasting

longer in Lake Erie − why that’s a
worry for people and pets

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8/6/25, 12:30 PM Toxic algae blooms are lasting longer in Lake Erie − why that’s a worry for people and pets

Lake Erie algal blooms, August 2011, along the southeast Lake Erie shore of Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada, 5 miles
north of the international line. | Michigan Sea Grant

By Gregory Dick | June 27, 2025

Federal scientists released their annual forecast for Lake Erie’s harmful
algal blooms on June 26, 2025, and they expect a mild to moderate season.
However, anyone who comes in contact with the blooms can face health
risks, and it’s worth remembering that 2014, when toxins from algae
blooms contaminated the water supply in Toledo, Ohio, was considered a
moderate year, too.

We asked Gregory J. Dick, who leads the Cooperative Institute for Great
Lakes Research, a federally funded center at the University of Michigan
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that studies harmful algal blooms among other Great Lakes issues, why
they’re such a concern.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s prediction for

harmful algal bloom severity in Lake Erie compared with past years. NOAA

1. What causes harmful algal blooms?

Harmful algal blooms are dense patches of excessive algae growth that
can occur in any type of water body, including ponds, reservoirs, rivers,
lakes and oceans. When you see them in freshwater, you’re typically seeing
cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.

These photosynthetic bacteria have inhabited our planet for billions of

years. In fact, they were responsible for oxygenating Earth’s atmosphere,
which enabled plant and animal life as we know it.

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Algae are natural components of ecosystems, but they cause trouble when
they proliferate to high densities, creating what we call blooms.

Harmful algal blooms form scums at the water surface and produce toxins
that can harm ecosystems, water quality and human health. They have
been reported in all 50 U.S. states, all five Great Lakes and nearly every
country around the world. Blue-green algae blooms are becoming more
common in inland waters.

The main sources of harmful algal blooms are excess nutrients in the
water, typically phosphorus and nitrogen.

Historically, these excess nutrients mainly came from sewage and

phosphorus-based detergents used in laundry machines and dishwashers
that ended up in waterways. U.S. environmental laws in the early 1970s
addressed this by requiring sewage treatment and banning phosphorus
detergents, with spectacular success.

How pollution affected Lake Erie in the 1960s, before clean water
regulations.

Today, agriculture is the main source of excess nutrients from chemical

fertilizer or manure applied to farm fields to grow crops. Rainstorms wash
these nutrients into streams and rivers that deliver them to lakes and
coastal areas, where they fertilize algal blooms. In the U.S., most of these
nutrients come from industrial-scale corn production, which is largely used
as animal feed or to produce ethanol for gasoline.

Climate change also exacerbates the problem in two ways. First,

cyanobacteria grow faster at higher temperatures. Second, climate-driven
increases in precipitation, especially large storms, cause more nutrient
runoff that has led to record-setting blooms.

2. What does your team’s DNA testing tell us about Lake Erie’s
harmful algal blooms?
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Harmful algal blooms contain a mixture of cyanobacterial species that can

produce an array of different toxins, many of which are still being
discovered.

When my colleagues and I recently sequenced DNA from Lake Erie water,
we found new types of microcystins, the notorious toxins that were
responsible for contaminating Toledo’s drinking water supply in 2014.

These novel molecules cannot be detected with traditional methods and

show some signs of causing toxicity, though further studies are needed to
confirm their human health effects.

Blue-green algae blooms in freshwater, like this one near Toledo in 2014,
can be harmful to humans, causing gastrointestinal symptoms, headache,
fever and skin irritation. They can be lethal for pets. Ty Wright for The
Washington Post via Getty Images

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We also found organisms responsible for producing saxitoxin, a potent

neurotoxin that is well known for causing paralytic shellfish poisoning on
the Pacific Coast of North America and elsewhere.

Saxitoxins have been detected at low concentrations in the Great Lakes for
some time, but the recent discovery of hot spots of genes that make the
toxin makes them an emerging concern.

Our research suggests warmer water temperatures could boost its

production, which raises concerns that saxitoxin will become more
prevalent with climate change. However, the controls on toxin production
are complex, and more research is needed to test this hypothesis. Federal
monitoring programs are essential for tracking and understanding
emerging threats.

3. Should people worry about these blooms?

Harmful algal blooms are unsightly and smelly, making them a concern for
recreation, property values and businesses. They can disrupt food webs
and harm aquatic life, though a recent study suggested that their effects
on the Lake Erie food web so far are not substantial.

But the biggest impact is from the toxins these algae produce that are
harmful to humans and lethal to pets.

The toxins can cause acute health problems such as gastrointestinal

symptoms, headache, fever and skin irritation. Dogs can die from ingesting
lake water with harmful algal blooms. Emerging science suggests that
long-term exposure to harmful algal blooms, for example over months or
years, can cause or exacerbate chronic respiratory, cardiovascular and
gastrointestinal problems and may be linked to liver cancers, kidney
disease and neurological issues.

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8/6/25, 12:30 PM Toxic algae blooms are lasting longer in Lake Erie − why that’s a worry for people and pets

The water intake system for the city of Toledo, Ohio, is surrounded by an
algae bloom in 2014. Toxic algae got into the water system, resulting in
residents being warned not to touch or drink their tap water for three days.
AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari

In addition to exposure through direct ingestion or skin contact, recent

research also indicates that inhaling toxins that get into the air may harm
health, raising concerns for coastal residents and boaters, but more
research is needed to understand the risks.

The Toledo drinking water crisis of 2014 illustrated the vast potential for
algal blooms to cause harm in the Great Lakes. Toxins infiltrated the
drinking water system and were detected in processed municipal water,
resulting in a three-day “do not drink” advisory. The episode affected
residents, hospitals and businesses, and it ultimately cost the city an
estimated US$65 million.

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8/6/25, 12:30 PM Toxic algae blooms are lasting longer in Lake Erie − why that’s a worry for people and pets

4. Blooms seem to be starting earlier in the year and lasting longer –

why is that happening?

Warmer waters are extending the duration of the blooms.

In 2025, NOAA detected these toxins in Lake Erie on April 28, earlier than
ever before. The 2022 bloom in Lake Erie persisted into November, which is
rare if not unprecedented.

Scientific studies of western Lake Erie show that the potential

cyanobacterial growth rate has increased by up to 30% and the length of
the bloom season has expanded by up to a month from 1995 to 2022,
especially in warmer, shallow waters. These results are consistent with our
understanding of cyanobacterial physiology: Blooms like it hot –
cyanobacteria grow faster at higher temperatures.

5. What can be done to reduce the likelihood of algal blooms in the

future?

The best and perhaps only hope of reducing the size and occurrence of
harmful algal blooms is to reduce the amount of nutrients reaching the
Great Lakes.

In Lake Erie, where nutrients come primarily from agriculture, that means
improving agricultural practices and restoring wetlands to reduce the
amount of nutrients flowing off of farm fields and into the lake. Early
indications suggest that Ohio’s H2Ohio program, which works with
farmers to reduce runoff, is making some gains in this regard, but future
funding for H2Ohio is uncertain.

In places like Lake Superior, where harmful algal blooms appear to be

driven by climate change, the solution likely requires halting and reversing
the rapid human-driven increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Gregory J. Dick, Professor of Biology, University of Michigan

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8/6/25, 12:30 PM Toxic algae blooms are lasting longer in Lake Erie − why that’s a worry for people and pets

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative

Commons license. Read the original article.

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