Viewing foul-smelling and toxic algae on Toronto beach

Following the sighting of foul-smelling and toxic algae on the coast of Toronto, residents of the area are advised to keep themselves and their pets away from this algae. It is not uncommon to see this algae on the city's beaches, but it creates an unpleasant scene and a bad smell. They give off the smell of rotting garbage. Worse, if pets are exposed to certain types of substances while playing in the water, especially cyanobacteria or blue-green algae, they may end up with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea to paralysis and convulsions and may even lead to their death.

A photo released last week shows a clump of gray, smelly, sticky material that has grown in size in recent days and is in particularly bad shape around the Toronto Harbor Lighthouse in Tommy Thompson Park.

Many believe that warming temperatures worsen their smell and size. This usually happened in late summer.

Experts have recently documented harmful algae blooms in Canada and around the world, attributing them to climate change, warming water temperatures and high levels of carbon dioxide.

Along with their pungent smell, these algae reduce the oxygen concentration of the water and thus disrupt the ecosystem and harm pets, humans and other animals.

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