RIDOH and DEM Recommend Avoiding Contact with Worden Pond
A very high level of a toxin called microcystin was detected in a water sample taken from the shoreline on Woodsia Trail.
Recent consecutive surveys and sample analyses at Brickyard Pond in Barrington confirmed that blue-green algae has been at acceptably low levels, and that cyanotoxin is not present in detectable concentrations. These findings meet state guidelines to support lifting the advisory.
People should be careful not to ingest water or eat fish from Worden Pond. All recreation, including fishing, boating, and kayaking, should be avoided. Animals who may ingest the water are especially at risk from exposure to the algal toxins, so owners should not allow pets to drink or swim in the lake. The advisory will remain in effect until further notice.
Skin contact with water containing blue-green algae commonly causes irritation of the skin, nose, eyes, and/or throat. Common health effects associated with ingesting water containing algal toxins include stomach-ache, diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea. Rarer health effects include dizziness, headache, fever, liver damage, and nervous system damage. Young children and pets are at a particular risk for health effects associated with algal toxins. People who have had contact with pond waters and experience those symptoms should contact their healthcare provider.
If you come into contact with the water, rinse your skin with clean water as soon as possible and, when you get home, take a shower and wash your clothes.
Similarly, if your pet comes into contact with the water, immediately wash your pet with clean water. Do not let the animal lick its fur. Call a veterinarian if your animal shows any symptoms of blue-green algae poisoning, including loss of energy, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, or any unexplained sickness that occurs within a day or so after being in contact with water.
People are cautioned that toxins may persist in the water after the blue-green algae bloom is no longer visible.
Blue-green algae blooms may be affecting other waterbodies in Rhode Island and may return to sites that have previously had blooms. People are advised to avoid contact with waterbodies that exhibit bright green coloration in the water or at the water surface and/or dense floating algal mats that form on the water's surface. The water may look like green paint, thick pea soup, or green cottage cheese.
For more information and a list of current and historical
advisories, go to www.dem.ri.gov/bluegreen Please send reports of
suspected blue-green algae blooms, along with photographs, if possible to DEM.OWRCyano@dem.ri.gov
