Don't drink the water, Toledo.
About 400,000 Ohioans were told not to drink their tap water after dangerous toxins seeped into Toledo's water.
Scientists found the harmful organisms in Toledo's Collins Park water-treatment plant early Saturday. Consuming the water can lead to nausea, fever and skin irritation, officials said.
Boiling the water will only make the toxins worse.
The order applies to the whole city and anyone in the surrounding area who gets their water from the Toledo plant - the facility processes water for about 400,000 people in a 100-square-mile area of Ohio.
The city of Toledo posted the warning on its Facebook page around 2 a.m.
By 8 a.m., most of the city's grocery stores were out of bottled water, the Toledo Blade reported. Cops had to respond to some stores when the large crowds demanding bottled water got disorderly.
The city explained that Lake Erie, one of the Toledo's water sources, likely developed a harmful algal bloom, causing the toxins to trickle into the treatment plant.
That kind of outbreak occurs when nitrogen and phosphorus collects in a body of water - often the result of fertilizer-laced runoff or broken septic systems.
The bloom contains organisms that produce toxins and could wreak havoc on humans' and animals' health.
Drinking the toxic water could cause diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, numbness and dizziness, and bathing in it could lead to rashes.
Officials are running more tests to determine the severity of the bloom.
It's unclear how long the order will remain in place.
{ 0 comments... Views All / Send Comment! }
Post a Comment