Stopping Algal Bloom Toxins at the Kitchen Tap
There’s already a lot of activity going on in the aftermath of the 2014 harmful algal bloom (HAB) in Lake Erie, which left residents in the city of Toledo without drinking water. Water treatment plants have added additional testing for the algal toxin microcystin that caused Toledo’s water shutdown, scientists are monitoring HABs as they develop, and backup intakes let larger plants avoid pulling in potentially contaminated water altogether.
A University of Toledo team led by Dr. Glenn Lipscomb is taking that activity one step further by showing that reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, an essential component of drinking water purification systems installed under kitchen sinks in many homes, can remove algal toxins from drinking water.