State of Emergency in Toledo, Ohio as water is declared unfit for consumption

The 400,000 residents of the city of Toledo, Ohio have been told not to consume or bathe with the water that comes out of the city's taps.

The Blade reports that Toledo and Lucas County have been put under a state of emergency after two tests at a local water treatment plant came up positive for microcystin.

Microcystin is a byproduct of certain types of algae. Blooms of an alga that produces microcystin have been found in Lake Erie, which supplies Toledo's drinking water.

Ingestion of microcystins may cause vomiting, nausea, headaches, diarrhea, pneumonia, and fever. Their extreme toxicity means they can also severely damage the liver. 

The Blade says that Toledo officials have asked other areas to divert some of their water supplies to the Toledo area. Ohio Senator Rob Portman has also gotten involved.

Portman has requested assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration. They will provide guidance and any aid that Ohio authorities may determine they need.

The Blade reports the allowable amount of microcystin in the water system is below 1 part per million, essentially, 1 milligram of pollutant per liter of water. The readings which spurred the state of emergency were as high as 2.5 parts per million.

As a part of the declaration of an emergency, Toledo has asked all restaurants and food service operations to temporarily close down. Toledo police officers that were off duty have been asked to show up for work, while those already on duty have been asked to put in overtime. They will help protect and distribute water from tanker trucks as it arrives in the area for distribution to local residents.

Well water in the area should be safe to drink as long as it is not fed by Lake Erie.

Toledo grocery store shelves were quickly stripped of their water supplies.

View of water shelves at a Toledo Kroger, as of 4:30 a.m. Saturday. Latest here: https://t.co/l3cwMbPpnC = Ben pic.twitter.com/hVtj7Ek1qZ

— WTVG 13abc (@13abc) August 2, 2014

Even stores outside Toledo were running low on water.

In Sandusky. Met many ppl from Toledo trying to find water. Even stores here can't keep up w/demand. Limit 3 per hh pic.twitter.com/eFLyfxlJ6K — Bari Soash (@BariSoash) August 2, 2014