Liver toxins highest in Man., Alta. lakes, new survey finds

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This article was published 15/08/2012 (5184 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG — Manitoba has some of the highest concentrations of a potent toxin produced by some blue green algae, a new study warns. However, the solution to the problem might be harder to find now that funding has been cut to the Experimental Lakes Area, the lead author cautioned Tuesday.

“(The study) points to where the problem may lie, however it doesn’t give us the answers,” said Diane Orihel, a PhD candidate at the University of Alberta and lead author of the study. “We need to do experiments where we can manipulate ecosystems.”

The study, published Tuesday, surveyed almost 250 lakes across Canada and found high concentrations of the toxin microcystin in every province. Microcystin can cause liver hemorrhaging and promote tumour growth in high concentrations.

Lakes in southwestern Manitoba and in central Alberta had the highest concentrations of microcystin. Killarney Lake followed by Lake Winnipeg had the highest toxin levels in Manitoba, Orihel said.

Microcystin is found in lakes heavily loaded with nutrients. Although it does naturally occur, agricultural runoff and development have drastically increased levels.

Across the country, nine per cent of lakes had levels of microcystin making them dangerous to swim in. These levels, Orihel adds, fluctuate, where lakes can have safe toxin levels one day and have high concentrations above guidelines the next.

Orihel said cottagers and boaters should pay close attention to blue-green algae warnings issued by provincial governments. When those levels are high, microcystins are also likely to be high.

Although it has been known for a long time that sewage and agricultural runoff cause water quality problems, new technology has allowed scientists for the first time to isolate and quantify the presence of microcystin, Orihel said. The study found that lakes with high levels of phosphorus but low nitrogen produce more of the toxin, but Orihel said this still needs to be tested out.

“This was the first paper to see if these are the broad brushstrokes across the country,” she said.

Orihel said the Experimental Lakes Area in Ontario would be the ideal place for experiments on how to address the study’s concerns. The ELA has been targeted by government budget cuts, but Orihel and provincial Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard have pushed for Ottawa to save the project.

“In order to find the cures to what ails us we need to conduct the right experiments,” Orihel said, adding lab experiments can often lead to wrong results in these cases.

Environment Canada said Tuesday that it did not have enough time to process the media request and respond to the study.

» Winnipeg Free Press