Toledo, Ohio area without water!

By report, residents of the Toledo, Ohio area have been told not to drink or bathe in the water. Here is an article about the situation:


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/02/toledo-ohio-water/13505697/

Here is another article:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/03/toledo-tells-residents-not-to-drink-water-due-to-presence-toxins/?intcmp=latestnews

Wow I could have  drown in the Maumee river in Toledo once when a speed boat swamped me...the river was in flood stage and my little boat had no floatation....the speed boat didn't even slow down...I hope the guy that was in the speedboat is really thirsty....

The part that seems the most scary to me is that they never actually specify what "toxins" are in the water. And "toxins" so bad that you can't bathe in the water?? Yikes!

Oh, you can bathe in it, just don't swallow any of it.

Are you sure? Article said not to drink it, bathe in it or wash dishes with it, and not to boil it because that just makes the toxins more concentrated.

One news report, yesterday said you could bathe in the water and another one said you couldn't bathe in it.

riceme wrote:

Are you sure? Article said not to drink it, bathe in it or wash dishes with it, and not to boil it because that just makes the toxins more concentrated.

From the article

Quote :

Officials said the water is not for drinking or cooking but healthy adults could still use the water for bathing. They warned children not to bathe or swim in it, as they might drink the water accidentally. Residents were warned not to boil the water because it will only increase the toxin's concentration. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and upset stomach.

Joanimaroni wrote:

One news report, yesterday said you could bathe in the water and another one said you couldn't bathe in it.

Error on the side of caution.... Spoke to my mother that lives in the area and she said that folks are traveling long distances simply to purchase water...Stores in NW Ohio can't keep it in stock...

riceme wrote:

The part that seems the most scary to me is that they never actually specify what "toxins" are in the water. And "toxins" so bad that you can't bathe in the water?? Yikes!

The main toxin is cylindrospermopsin.

According to the Royal Society of Chemistry:

Quote :

Cylindrospermopsin is an important cyanobacterial toxin found in water bodies worldwide. The ever-increasing and global occurrence of massive and prolonged blooms of cylindrospermopsin-producing cyanobacteria poses a potential threat to both human and ecosystem health. Its toxicity is associated with metabolic activation and may involve mechanisms that adversely affect a wide variety of targets in an organism. Cylindrospermopsin has been shown to be cytotoxic, dermatotoxic, genotoxic, hepatotoxic in vivo, developmentally toxic, and may be carcinogenic. Human exposure may occur through drinking water, during recreational activities and by consuming foods in which the toxin may have bioaccumulated. Drinking water shortages of sufficient quality coupled with growing human pressures and climate variability and change necessitate an integrated and sustainable water management program. This review presents an overview of the importance of cylindrospermopsin, its detection, toxicity, worldwide distribution, and lastly, its chemical and biological degradation and removal by natural processes and drinking water treatment processes.

One word jumped out at me... dermatotoxic... meaning it will affect the dermis (skin).  Another test I read where patches of the compound were placed on skin of humans for 24 hours in concentrations normally present in an algal bloom.  Reactions were classified as minor, but it does affect the skin.  I don't think I would take any luxurious showers in it, lol.   Maybe a quick Navy shower.

I see where the toxins are called microcystin.  One web site says about Microcystin:
Q: Can you get sick from microcystin toxin?
A: People can get sick from microcystin toxin if they have direct contact with a blue green algae
bloom, by either intentionally or accidentally swallowing water, by having direct skin contact (as
when swimming, wading, or showering), or by breathing airborne droplets containing the toxins, such
as during boating or waterskiing.

EDIT: Lake Erie had a bad bloom in 2011 as well. People were probably exposed then as well, but didn't know about it.

A case of water bottles in Toledo......$14.00. I understand the price of transporting the water but this is gouging.

Hold everything! The water is safe, according to the mayor of Toledo.

Yeah, right.

It is pretty well known that Copper Sulfate kills plants. Farmers have used it for years to kill blooms in their fish ponds. I wonder if they used it, and are they just swapping one toxin for another?

Actually gouging is really just a principle of market forces. There is nothing really wrong with it.  If you want people to suffer outlaw gouging in a crisis.  Suppliers need incentive to load up and truck supplies in where there's a massive need.  After many suppliers see the profit incentive and arrive with water or food or generators  whatever, the price will go down.

Thank God they can bathe in the water. Toledo doesn't have much of a reputation one way or the other, but a citizenry that can't bathe could certainly open them up for a lot of jokes on late night TV.

L.A. is experiencing a water shortage too, and with all the fires they have out there it's definitely not a good thing.

I have relatives out there and they say it is the hottest they've ever seen L.A. . A lot of people don't have a/c's and old people are suffering in the heat. Of course, since global warming is a hoax.......

Otter wrote:

Thank God they can bathe in the water. Toledo  doesn't have much of a reputation one way or the other, but a citizenry that can't bathe could certainly open them up for a lot of jokes on late night TV.

L.A.  is experiencing a water shortage too, and with all the fires they have out there it's definitely not a good thing.

I have relatives out there and they say it is the hottest they've ever seen L.A. . A lot of people don't have a/c's and old people are suffering in the heat. Of course, since global warming is a hoax.......

Most of those who were saying it is a hoax are backing off that now. Now they're saying it isn't a direct result of man's actions, lol.

I don't know if man's actions are causing it either, but kinda feel that we are.

Of course, there is a theory that we cause enough melting of fresh water around Greenland, the fresh water will shut off the Gulf Stream and plunge us into another ice age. Instead of sweltering, we might be freezing our asses off.

I think Joani might be right... one article said bathing ok, one said not. Confuuuusing.

I'd rather not freeze to death Eric. With all that water raising the ocean levels, there might be good diving for my kids one day from Cantonment beach.

Just think of the great fish habitat the Civic Center will make. I'm gonna keep our boat in shape so we'll be ready. I just hope the guv'ment will increase the snapper limit.

There'll be a LOT of fish reefs, that's for sure...

That's interesting. They even called in the national guard to give out mres

I read that chlorine and ozonation removed it

http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/microcystin_sections.pdf

I wonder what kind of treatment that plant uses?

Wonder what our local plants use?

Why don't the give them some of that good Fracking water they say its safe.

polecat wrote:

Why don't the give them some of that good Fracking water they say its safe.

LOL something I agree with you on.   

*~Tree~* wrote:

That's interesting. They even called in the national guard to give out mres

I read that chlorine and ozonation removed it

http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/microcystin_sections.pdf

I wonder what kind of treatment that plant uses?

Wonder what our local plants use?

Back when I supervised the Health Department's Water & Sewage section, ECUA just did chlorination mainly.  Due to contamination from dry cleaners and gas stations, there are a lot of huge activated carbon filters made by the Calgon Corporation.  I guess they now do Fluoridation?... I dunno about that specifically.  Gulf Breeze is naturally fluoridated.

People's Water Service in Warrington, in addition to chlorine, they used to add Sodium Hexametaphosphate to act as a sequestering agent (makes crud stick to the inside of the pipes).

Eric wrote:

*~Tree~* wrote:

That's interesting. They even called in the national guard to give out mres

I read that chlorine and ozonation removed it

http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/microcystin_sections.pdf

I wonder what kind of treatment that plant uses?

Wonder what our local plants use?

Back when I supervised the Health Department's Water & Sewage section, ECUA just did chlorination mainly.  Due to contamination from dry cleaners and gas stations, there are a lot of huge activated carbon filters made by the Calgon Corporation.  I guess they now do Fluoridation?... I dunno about that specifically.  Gulf Breeze is naturally fluoridated.

People's Water Service in Warrington, in addition to chlorine, they used to add Sodium Hexametaphosphate to act as a sequestering agent (makes crud stick to the inside of the pipes).

I was going to ask if they used large Millipore carbon filters. Thanks for the info. Its very interesting that we go so far out of the way to do this or that and it seems our water supply is still being handled rather unsophisticated in a way.

Let me ask you since you worked in that.

It seems to me that significant specialized filters should be a mandated requirement. This is our drinking water and it is also a area that could be easily made a bio weapon target.

And if they are a requirement everywhere, then perhaps that water facility didn't do something they were supposed to do, like change the filters. Because I know our carbon filters we use for chemical air filtration can become saturated and no longer work. Do you think that is a possibility?

You cannot require the huge capital outlay for filters in areas where contamination isn't present. Ratepayers wouldn't stand for it. These things are huge, and it costs a bunch to replace the carbon when they start to get loaded with contaminants. These tanks have sampling ports down the sides where you can sample different levels of the carbon to determine when it is about time to replace the carbon.

The big white tanks behind the well house are typical for 2,000 gallon-per-minute wells in Pensacola. This site is on "I" street just north of Cervantes.

Eric wrote:

You cannot require the huge capital outlay for filters in areas where contamination isn't present.  Ratepayers wouldn't stand for it.  These things are huge, and it costs a bunch to replace the carbon when they start to get loaded with contaminants.  These tanks have sampling ports down the sides where you can sample different levels of the carbon to determine when it is about time to replace the carbon.

The big white tanks behind the well house are typical for 2,000 gallon-per-minute wells in Pensacola.  This site is on "I" street just north of Cervantes.

I'm going to say that I think the ratepayers just might pay for it.

I am now going to sound like a greenie LOL

This is a solution. And at least we know it is a solution for fact. unlike many other greenie projects we spend billions of dollars on every year.

And how about ozonation? http://www.comsol.com/blogs/water-purification-using-ozone/


Ozone disinfection is the least used method in the U.S. although this technology has been widely accepted in Europe for decades. Ozone treatment has the ability to achieve higher levels of disinfection than either chlorine or UV, however, the capital costs as well as maintenance expenditures are not competitive with available alternatives. Ozone is therefore used only sparingly, primarily in special cases where alternatives are not effective.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
Advantages
C Ozone is more effective than chlorine in destroying viruses and bacteria.< this is from the EPA website