Henry Miller

Statesman Journal

The Oregon Health Authority is issuing a health advisory based on sightings of algae scum on the Willamette River in Portland.

The scum has been spotted in the river from the southern end of Ross Island downstream to the Fremont Bridge.

Testing is underway to determine the species and the concentration of blue-green algae cells in the river. Identification will help tell whether the cells have the potential to produce toxins. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality also is testing the water.

People should avoid skin contact as well as swallowing or inhaling water droplets until results of tests are available. Drinking water directly from that stretch of the Willamette River could be especially dangerous.

Exposure to toxins from blue-green algae can produce symptoms of numbness, tingling and dizziness that can lead to difficulty breathing or heart problems and require immediate medical attention.

Lesser symptoms of skin irritation, weakness, diarrhea, nausea, cramps and fainting also should get medical treatment if they persist or worsen.

Children and pets are at increased risk for exposure because of their size and level of activity.

Oregon Public Health officials said that toxins cannot be removed by boiling, filtering or treating the water with camping-style filters.

Oregon health officials said that if you eat fish from that stretch of the Willamette the fat, skin and organs should be removed before cooking, because toxins are more likely to collect in these tissues.

Crayfish muscle can be eaten, but internal organs and liquid fat should be thrown away.

A toll-free recorded information line about toxic-algae blooms is at (877) 290-6767.

It also is available online by clicking on the "Algae Bloom Advisories" link www.healthoregon.org/hab