§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has concerning the number of people in the North West Water region who are allergic to blue-green algae.
§ Mr. SackvilleNone. The numbers of people with allergies are not available centrally.
Illnesses including skin rashes, eye irritation, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and pains in muscles and joints have occurred in people who swam through or swallowed water with an algal scum. Very few reports of such occurrences have come from the United Kingdom. There have been no reports of long term effects or deaths in humans from such exposures.
In 1990, the Department advised that although algal scum is not always harmful, it is a sensible precaution to avoid contact with the scum and the water close to it.