University of Toledo

Harmful algal blooms have become increasingly widespread in freshwater lakes, rivers and streams across the United States, threatening the health of shoreside communities.

Water quality and medical experts at The University of Toledo have taken a leadership role in responding with innovative research aimed at mitigating the impact of harmful algal blooms and understanding the risks they pose to human health.

In a first-of-its-kind research study, molecular biologists Steven Haller, Ph.D., and David Kennedy, Ph.D., are examining the health effects of airborne algal toxins in individuals who spend significant time near Lake Erie. The results of that five-year analysis along one of the Great Lakes will help establish who is most at risk from exposure to microcystin and could lead to new treatments.

The Great Lakes Aerosol Monitoring Research Study is a key part of a recently awarded five-year, $6.5 million federal grant that funds the Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health led by UToledo and the University of Michigan.