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Five conservation organizations petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency Thursday to set limits on algae bloom toxins. The blooms threaten the health of Floridians and wildlife.
Jason Totoiu is the senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. Growing up on Florida’s Treasure Coast, he says he’s only seen algal blooms get worse.
“Florida has kind of the unfortunate, probably status of being one of the worst- if not the worst – place for harmful algal blooms in America.”
The organizations are seeking standards for what are known as “cyanotoxins”, which are released during an algal bloom. They say such rules are needed to meet requirements of the federal Clean Water Act.
“We want true transparency and accountability, and we think we can get there by having these quantitative standards in place.”
Toxins from the blooms can cause various issues. For humans, effects can include skin or eye irritation. Scientists are concerned about linkage to liver disease. It can also cause aquatic life to leave an area or die.
This week, Pasco County issued a Blue Green Algae alert.
