Beware blooming algae

AS summer gets under way, NHS Tayside is reminding people in Dundee, Angus and Perth and Kinross to be on the lookout f or blooms of potentially hazardous blue-green algae in the region’s waterways.

Blue-green algae are tiny organisms that develop naturally in lochs, ponds, reservoirs, rivers and in the sea.

Such blooms are a common seasonal occurrence and waters affected by agricultural, domestic or industrial discharges are most at risk of developing the algae.

The algae can multiply during the summer months and discolour the water, which then appears green, blue-green, or greenish-brown. At the shoreline, algal crusts may appear brown t o almost black.

People and animals can be affected as a result of direct contact with water tainted by blue-green algae.

Dr Jackie Hyland, consultant in Public Health Medicine for NHS Tayside, said: “Canoeists, wind surfers and swimmers who come i nto contact with the algal scum, or who accidentally swallow affected water, can suffer complaints such as skin rashes, eye irritation, vomiting, diarrhoea, or pains in muscles and joints. These symptoms are usually mild, but in some cases, can be severe.

“The risk to small animals such as dogs is significant over the summer, as they tend to drink more water in the heat and may eat shoreline algal crusts.”