EWG Publishes Report on the Need for Action to Address National Algae Outbreaks

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has published a report entitled, “Toxins from Algae Outbreaks Plague Hundreds of Lakes in 48 States.” The EWG used a new EWG analysis and map that pulls data from EPA’s National Lakes Assessment and from 14 states that both regularly monitor lakes for microcystin and have made 2018 test results public. The report shows federal and state tests have found dangerous toxins, common in outbreaks of blue-green algae, in hundreds of lakes, rivers and other bodies of water nationwide and says that “authorities are doing little to notify and protect Americans.” It discusses the need for more state testing and public information and highlights the absence of federal drinking water regulations for microcystins and other cyanotoxins – while more than two-thirds of Americans get their drinking water from community systems that rely at least in part on lakes, rivers or other surface water. For more information, contact Sarah Graddy of EWG at (202) 939-9141 or sarah@ewg.org.