Return of the Plagues - Deadly Waters Episode 1
- 2 years ago
Return of the Plagues
With water pollution and temperatures on the rise, toxic algae cause serious problems nowadays for inland waters and for the oceans. Increasing algal bloom is poisoning fish and shells, and it has become a health hazard for human beings as well: toxic algae are responsible 60,000 cases of food poisoning worldwide every year.
The documentary, Return of the Plagues, takes a closer look at the effect these poisonous microorganisms have today:
● in Germany, where restaurant guests suffered food poisoning from a seafood buffet in spite of intense food inspections;
● in Florida, where not only dolphins fall victim to contaminated water but also swimmers who have difficulty breathing;
● in Italy, where an invasive species of algae has caused the collapse of the marine fauna;
● in Austria, where researchers are monitoring the mysterious behavior of algae that threaten to contaminate fresh water reservoirs;
● in Canada, where the fish and shellfish industry have shown great interest in sophisticated early-warning systems; and
● at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, Germany, where algae expert Allan Cembella and his colleagues are working on solving the puzzle of how this modern plague is propagated.
“… all the waters that were in the river [Nile] were turned to blood. And all the fish that was in the river died,” reports the Bible, “and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river.” (Exodus 7:20–21)
With water pollution and temperatures on the rise, toxic algae cause serious problems nowadays for inland waters and for the oceans. Increasing algal bloom is poisoning fish and shells, and it has become a health hazard for human beings as well: toxic algae are responsible 60,000 cases of food poisoning worldwide every year.
The documentary, Return of the Plagues, takes a closer look at the effect these poisonous microorganisms have today:
● in Germany, where restaurant guests suffered food poisoning from a seafood buffet in spite of intense food inspections;
● in Florida, where not only dolphins fall victim to contaminated water but also swimmers who have difficulty breathing;
● in Italy, where an invasive species of algae has caused the collapse of the marine fauna;
● in Austria, where researchers are monitoring the mysterious behavior of algae that threaten to contaminate fresh water reservoirs;
● in Canada, where the fish and shellfish industry have shown great interest in sophisticated early-warning systems; and
● at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, Germany, where algae expert Allan Cembella and his colleagues are working on solving the puzzle of how this modern plague is propagated.
“… all the waters that were in the river [Nile] were turned to blood. And all the fish that was in the river died,” reports the Bible, “and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river.” (Exodus 7:20–21)