Will I get Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) from being near a lake with a cyanobacteria bloom?
Due to the release of ongoing research conducted by Dartmouth, there has been a significant amount of media attention surrounding the development of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, from lake water. The link between ALS and specific cyanobacteria toxins has yet to be proven, and the individuals that are being studied typically made contact with cyanobacteria on a regular basis for many years, e.g., using lake water to shower, wash dishes, drink, etc. The DES Beach program recommends avoiding contact and ingestion of recreational water that is experiencing a cyanobacteria bloom as this may lead to human illness or the possible death of pets. The link between ALS and cyanobacteria toxins remains a hypothesis.
