Researchers in a lab near Lake Erie study how toxic algae can damage health

In a lab not far from the shores of Lake Erie, researchers are trying to learn more about the ways toxic algae can damage health. Steven Haller, a clinical researcher in the University of Toledo's department of medicine, says his interest dates back to a scare when toxic algae made it into his community's water supply a decade ago. Dangerous algae blooms have been a persistent problem in western Lake Erie, where shallow water warms and algae gets turbocharged by farm chemicals draining into the lake. One area of their study includes the effects of algae toxins when they become airborne, as waves smash onto shore, for example, or watercraft churn through the lake.