Mortality From ALS Up With Exposure to Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, June 26, 2025 -- Living close to cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms in U.S. water bodies is associated with increased risk of mortality from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study published online May 12 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Stuart A. Batterman, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues developed life course exposure measures for cyanobacteria and examined the association with survival in individuals with ALS. An individual's residence history, date of disease onset, and satellite data from the Cyanobacteria Assessment Network were used to identify exposure measures. Cyanobacteria concentrations in water bodies within 0.25 to 10 km of each residence were weighted using residence duration for selected exposure windows referenced to the date of disease onset. Concentration metrics, buffer sizes, and windows of exposure were assessed.
The researchers found that the best balance of the likelihood and plausibility of exposure while still resolving exposure contrasts was seen for the 2.5- and 5-km buffers. Most study participants lived within 5 km of cyanobacteria blooms over their lifetime; exposure was associated with up to 0.89 years' shorter survival, with individuals reporting swimming, fishing, and private wells demonstrating significant interactions.
"If exposure to cyanobacteria toxins is a meaningful risk factor, then the large number of inland lakes prone to cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms in the U.S. Midwest region (e.g., Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Indiana) might explain the regional patterns of disease incidence, which is much higher that other U.S. regions," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted June 2025
Read this next
More Than 110,000 Rich's Ice Cream Bars Recalled Due to Listeria Risk
WEDNESDAY, July 23, 2025 — More than 100,000 Rich's Ice Cream Co. bars have been recalled due to possible listeria contamination. The affected ice cream bars were sold...
Tons of Turkey Bacon Products Recalled Due to Possible Listeria Contamination
THURSDAY, July 3, 2025 — Kraft Heinz Foods is recalling some 370,000 pounds of fully cooked turkey bacon products that may be contaminated with listeria, the U.S...
Pediatric Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Infection Incidence Increased in 2024
WEDNESDAY, July 2, 2025 -- Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae)-associated community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) incidence was significantly higher in 2024 than in 2018 to 2023...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.