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Blue-green algae warnings at a dozen bathing lakes
Around a dozen of the officially 61 Hessian bathing lakes are contaminated with blue-green algae. Health authorities have issued warnings, according to an overview by the Hessian State Office for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG). According to Winfried Staudt, the HLNUG tends to affect shallow lakes. The weather is a factor, but the problem is mostly man-made. Nutrient enrichment, for example through fertilization in agriculture, but also tributaries that bring in wastewater play a role. Contact with the so-called cyanobacteria of blue-green algae can cause skin irritation, allergic reactions, but in worse cases also nausea, diarrhea, fever or respiratory diseases.
You can find out which bathing lakes in Hesse have issued a warning because of blue-green algae here in the interactive overview of the HLNUG.
Note: We had previously written that due to blue-green algae, for example, swimming in Lake Buga in Kassel has been prohibited since July 12th. According to the city, the ban was lifted on Friday morning. The town tweetedthat the precipitation and the cooler days would have led to a reduction in blue-green algae.