reporter
Stephanie is a general assignment reporter for the Southern California News Group, formerly the Los Angeles News Group. She covers a mix of local government, public health and crime for the news group's San Gabriel Valley newspapers and websites. A graduate of UC Berkeley, Stephanie previously worked at the Chicago Tribune and was a Kaiser Media health intern at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2013.
"I had fair warning that gathering data on blue-green algae toxins in California was going to be an uphill battle," writes reporter Stephanie Baer. Her effort started with records requests to each of the state's 58 counties.
“To find out after the fact that this could have been avoided — you put my kid through a little nightmare here and you affected his health,” said one mother whose 13-year-old son fell ill after jet skiing in the lake.
In California, cyanotoxins have become more of a problem amid the drought. The same toxin that shut down Toledo, Ohio’s water supply in 2014 has been detected in lakes, reservoirs and streams across the state.
Cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae, produces potent toxins that sicken people and animals. This is the second time the state has issued a warning about the bacteria and its toxins at Pyramid Lake.
There are no confirmed human deaths linked to toxins produced by cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae, in the U.S., but in the wake of reports of dogs dying from ingesting these toxins, people are worried about the potential harm to humans.
It took less than 30 minutes for the 2-year-old golden retriever to die. One moment, the dog was swimming alongside her owners' canoe. The next, she was seizing and foaming at the mouth. Experts say toxic algae is a rising threat in California waters.
Reports of dogs dying after swimming in blue green algae-infested waters in California this summer have raised concerns about the health risks to humans who come into contact with harmful algal blooms. Just how safe are California's waters?
