by Shortly before the Long Independence Day weekend, the beaches across the country have closed and advised and advised due to excessive levels of harmful bacteria. The culprit is fecal waste, a common summer problem in fresh water and oceans that can cause stomach intestine diseases and skin infections.
At least six states have published closures or advice for certain beaches and lakes that have been positively tested for safe safety levels on faecal bacteria. In Massachusetts, almost two dozen beaches are closed due to excessive bacterial levels. Four beaches in New York are closed. Illinois has published at least eight advice in the past few weeks. Los Angeles County had published eight advice on marine water quality from Tuesday. Michigan has closed three beaches.
The bacteria that cause chaos for summer swimmers include E. coli and enterococcus – bad germs that can often be found in the feces of humans and animals. The contamination can occur due to waste water, fertilizer or storm drains. E. coli is more found in fresh water, while Enterococcus can form in both sea and fresh water.
Edward Dudley, director of the E. Coli Reference Center at Pennsylvania State University, said that the test bodies used for swimming are as common as the closures.
The beach closures are more likely in the summer months when the sea surface temperatures are high and bacteria can grow more easily, said Antarpreet Jutla, Associate Professor of Environmental Technology at the Florida University. A large number of factors – including human activity, temperature and water movement – can influence bacterial growth, he said.
Jutla also said that beach closures are very common due to stool bacteria.
In North Carolina, civil servants warned of cyanobacterial algae flowers in Lake Norman and asked people to keep children and pets away from water that appears light green, blue or sharp. In contrast to faecal bacteria, cyanobacteria are the most common cause of algae flowers in fresh water such as lakes or rivers, according to the centers for the control and prevention of diseases. Investigations suggest that climate change may bloom more often from cyanobacterial algae.
Although the Environmental Protection Agency guidelines sets a secure level of stool bacteria, states can set their own water quality and monitoring standards. Some, like Illinois, test public beaches every two weeks.
“I would say the higher the values, the higher the risk,” said Dudley.
While faeces waste can lead to many harmful diseases, experts are concerned about the latest increasing values of another harmful bacteria: vibrio.
Vibrio is a potentially fatal bacteria that has caused similar beach closures in recent years. The carnivorous beetle thrives in warm, coastal waters. Jutla, the Vibrio bacteria, has gradually migrated to the north in the north of the United State. Testing on Vibrio depends on both condition and its concentration limits, he said.
“At the moment it is a rare thing with increasing trends across the country, but that’s something that we are really concerned about – what will be available in the coastal waters,” said Jutla about Vibrio.
Deadly V. Vulnificus is a rare type of bacteria, but the infections have grown in recent years because it follows to heat the sea water on the east coast of the USA
This article was originally published on nbcnews.com
