Ahead of the Canada Day long weekend, health officials issued an advisory for a lake located just west of Edmonton.
On Thursday, Alberta Health Services (AHS) said the waters of Lake Isle, which is located about one hour west of Edmonton, had blue-green algae.
As a result, residents living on the lake, along with any visitors to the lake, are advised to not drink water from the lake, not swim or wade into the water, and avoid contact with any of the algae that might wash up on the shore.
In addition, AHS said some may want to limit their consumption of fish from the lake.
Blue-green algae carries a toxin that can cause serious illness to animals or humans who come in contact with it, and the toxin is in the water regardless of where the actual algae blooms might be in the water.
Those who come in contact with the blooms, either by touching the water or drinking it, may experience skin irritation, sore throat, sore red eyes, swollen lips, fever, nausea and vomiting and/or diarrhea – the symptoms usually appear with in one to three hours of exposure, and clear up in one to two days.
However, consistently drinking contaminated water can lead to more serious illnesses such as liver damage, over time.
For more information, call Health Link Alberta at 1-866-408-LINK (5465).
