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Interesting article on blue green algae written from a ranching perspective. Apparently it is a problem that can kill cattle and other animals! They don’t mention humans. But they do give some pointers on what to look for…
https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=43388
Doug Plitt, Operations Project Manager with the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers at Hensley Lake, told ABC 30 that a general reaction to look for would be: “Your skin may be irritated, you may notice a rash developing. If you’ve ingested it, typically you’d get a dry mouth, possibly nausea or vomiting, a headache, or diarrhea.”
Can it kill humans?
Toxic algae can be fatal if a person drinks water from a bloom that contains certain toxins.
In California, the most alarming toxin is domoic acid, which can disrupt normal nerve signaling in the brain, causing disorientation and seizures. It can cause death to fish, seabirds, marine mammals and even people.
Although the tiny organisms are regularly there, concentrations of them can create enough toxins to seriously sicken people – primarily children – and be deadly to pets.
In any case, those symptoms (“nausea or vomiting, a headache, or diarrhea.”) Combined with high heat in direct sun might be enough to kill you… heat alone can do it, but the toxic algae might just push you over the edge…
Doug Plitt is fear mongering. Domoic acid is associated with amnestic shellfish poisoning. It has been involved in the death of humans (Prince Edward Island case, 1987) who were exposed by eating contaminated shellfish.
https://www.cdc.gov/habs/materials/factsheet-marine-habs.html
The positive test in an algal mat for Anatoxin-A (ATX) downstream from the found family was 11.8 µg/L. Algal mats can be positive for 1,000s of units, so that level is low, not high as the media states.
https://mywaterquality.ca.gov/habs/where/freshwater_events.html
The WHO, in their Guidelines on Recreational Water Quality, 2021, gives a WHO guideline value (GV)recreation for Anatoxin A at a level of WHO HBVrecreation = 60 µg/L
(For ATXs, toxicological data were insufficient for deriving a guideline value, but allow deriving an upper bounding value below which health impacts are highly unlikely – that is, a health-based value.)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572631/
Some municipal waters allow ATX at levels of 20 µg/L (Ohio at that level only puts out advisory)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoxin-a
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article254655352.html
“Authorities have ruled out the use of a gun or any other type of weapon. The family was also not killed by lightning strike, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, cyanide exposure, illegal drugs, alcohol or suicide. All other causes of death remain possible, deputies say.”
That’s a lot of time spent ruling out very few mostly visually obvious things (gunshot, lightning strike). What’s going on?
How do they rule out suicide? Not that I think this is what’s happened. Not at all. They did not rule out murder. How about heat stroke, or rattlesnake bites? This last, not ruled out? But carbon monoxide is? Would this last have come from a mine nearby?
The weather that day prob didn’t support lightning, although someone mentioned it does not have to leave definite tissue damage. Suicide prob ruled out from no history of domestic abuse…the number one risk factor. Ruling it out may also mean related toxicology has come back negative. Toxic gases would have been from nearby mine I think, yes. Rattlesnake bites seem a left field reach.
Heat-related death and harmful algal bloom seem left, and only one of those make sense…heat.
well, I would have guessed if they ruled out cyanide–but why just that? that’s like saying they’ve ruled out Agatha Christie as the murderer–they would have tested for rattlesnake poison. That area is rife with rattlesnakes. Yes, agreed it’s not likely but why is it taking so long to confirm the likely cause, heat and dehydration? Maybe these are not easy to determine.
Why not both with the algae as a possible contributing factor? That slope they were coming up off the river looks like a pure hellscape in temps well above 100 degrees F. The heat and likely dehydration related to heat could be the cause of extreme stress and algae toxins provide the extra stress or diminish physical capacity to deal with the heat stress that is really hard to definitively identify but that pushes the situation over the line? If hydration is what should help relieve the dangerous stress in this situation but instead increases the stress?
Off the top of my head and hearing stories about snakebite for nearly 70 years; lethal snakebite causes severe swelling, discoloration and necropsy of flesh and I’m pretty sure is therefore is easily and obviously visible (not to mention the actual bites!) and besides why would all 3 get bitten by snakes? Also in that kind of exposed location and extreme heat the snakes would almost certainly be denned up in a cooler spot as well. Snakebite is almost always defensive and involves the snake being surprised and feeling cornered/ threatened.
They are taking their time because of how rare it is to see a group of 3 plus animal succumb to death as a group. The Sheriff admits he has never seen this in his 20 year career. My guess is some toxicology on their tissues is still in progress for Anatoxin-A. I’d bet body fluid toxicology is complete and all negative. Heat and dehydration, because there may be no physical signs with decomposition, are diagnoses of exclusion in this case (rule out other stuff first).
It still could be both algae toxin plus heat, but I think they knew of the water issue (bulletins since June), attempted to take all their water from the start, and miscalculated. It has happened to a group of 3 of us out in Big Bend on a dayhike. If they took water from the river for the climb out, as an experienced hiker would when there is no water scare, there would have been more water left when they were found (just my thoughts).
My top scenario is they took all the water from the start (knew they could not use river water), the 1 year old started showing signs of heat stress at the bottom (under age 4 are extremely vulnerable) and they panic-hiked to get out. I could be wrong.
Sounds reasonable. Either way what a tragedy. And I guess the dog just stayed with them and succumbed too eventually? I mean wouldn’t the dog have stayed hydrated from any available source? It’s a puzzle.
I agree; I’ve always thought heat and dehydration where the likely culprits. And yes that climb out in extreme heat would have been…stressful. A tragedy indeed. Maybe the only question is if there could have been a further contributing factor.
Gunshot wounds are even more visible than snakebites; they ruled those out. And lightning. But not the bite. It just struck me as a random, non-informative press release. Cyanide??? They ruled out the butler. Hmmm…
I hadn’t seen this story until now. What a mysterious tragedy. Thanks to  John S. for his informative posts.
California family found dead on hike killed by extreme heat, sheriff says.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/21/california-family-hike-cause-of-death
I feel sad for them.
It is very sad. It still seems strange that they would all perish together, even the dog, and all in one place. I would expect that one would try to continue on after the other died to try to get help? unless they were just too far gone to do so. Impossible to know. 109 is unimaginable to me!
Yep – I felt the same – that they all were together. They had only a 85 oz camelbak bladder between the 4 of them or 2.5+ liters and it was mostly empty apparently. Looking at the distance they had to travel – at least 8.8 miles or so in heat, it seems they should have had a lot more. Very sad indeed.
So why didn’t they do a toxicology report? Seems heat exhaustion is just a deduction.
Toxicology was done. It was negative.
https://www.facebook.com/mariposacountysheriff/posts/240652671439058
I, too, wondered about the dog dying of dehydration/hyperthermia. It had access to the river, and I doubt would have been much concerned about toxic algae blooms.  Maybe the family died of dehydration/hyperthermia and the dog from toxic algae poisoning? Did the issue a toxicology report for the dog?
With the family found about 1.5 miles along the trail from the river and 1,000 ft above it, the dog may not have had access. The dog was likely leashed too. His cause of death was labeled undetermined but probably heat related…means to me that toxicology on his decomposed remains was not conclusive to properly rule out toxic algae.
I wasn’t aware they were 1000′ above the river. That sure blows a hole in my hypothesis of toxic algae poisoning causing the dog’s death, leash or no leash.
Not 1000′ above the river. It was a loop hike. First @ 2.5 miles 2000″ downhill to the river, Next @ 2 miles along the river but 40-80 feet above. Last @ 2.4 miles uphill 2100″ or so completely exposed on a recently burned sidehill at temps measured in area @ 109 degrees and with that open southern exposure could have been in stretches even hotter. A real hell-hole with over 2000″ climb in @ 2.2 miles based on the profile below. Route starting from the left going north to the river and then clockwise
I believe an earlier report said no toxicology study on the dog. From the final sheriff’s update:
Oski the dog’s cause of death remains undetermined. Based on the condition of Oski’s remains and evidence on the scene investigators believe that Oski was possibly suffering from heat related issues.
— Rex
By the way Oski is the name of the U.C. Berkeley sports mascot. A kind of dopey looking bear who walks around with this hands clasped behind his back, thinking.
It appears this family died of hyperthermia which is heartbreaking regardless of cause. My condolences to the surviving family and friends. Edit, looks like Jscott posted this in another thread.  Edit to the edit, I now see a page + of response are missing unless you’re logged in.  Okay.
Related to the original question, we had an outbreak at the end of summer. For those unaware, because of the dams, our section of the Columbia River is one of the few sections considered “free-flowing,” albeit artificially. From the shore, you can see the current moving at a decent pace, for whatever that is worth in regards to cyanobacteria. I walk along this section of the Columbia on a fairly regular basis. At the time of this outbreak, I couldn’t tell anything was out of the ordinary with the water and I wouldn’t have thought twice about treating and drinking from it had the need arose.
Unfortunately, six dogs were either sickened or killed by it.
https://www.yaktrinews.com/breaking-columbia-river-shoreline-closed-due-to-toxic-algae-bloom/
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