Researchers generally agree that between 30 and 50 percent of cyanobacterial blooms are harmless for drinking water because they contain only non-toxic species of freshwater cyanobacteria. Blooms containing even one species of toxic cyanobacteria will be poisonous and potentially dangerous. Because there's no obvious way to tell if a particular bloom is toxic, samples have to be analyzed in a laboratory before a body of water can be declared safe.
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Does the presence of a cyanobacteria bloom always mean the drinking water is contaminated?
Last Updated: August 03, 2010
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