PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The City of Salem extended its “vulnerable population advisory” not to drink the tap water because low levels of cyanotoxins were found during random sampling until further notice.

Random samples of water on May 23 and May 25 found the presence of cyanotoxins higher than the US EPA guidelines. Those cyanotoxins are low levels of cylindrospermopsin and microcystin.

The advisory applies to City of Salem, City of Turner, Suburban East Salem Water District and Orchard Heights Water Association.

Children under the age of 6, people with compromised immune systems, people receiving dialysis treatment, people with pre-existing liver conditions, pets, pregnant women or nursing mothers, or other sensitive populations should follow this advisory.  At this time, people not on this list may continue to drink the water unless additional messaging is received.


But what are the health effects if you do drink the water?

The EPA said, “Adverse health outcomes from exposure to cyanotoxins may range from a mild skin rash to serious illness or death. Acute illnesses caused by exposure to cyanotoxins have been reported and after short-term exposures, microcystin and cylindrospermopsin could cause liver and kidney damage.”

The “acute health effects” of microcystin-LR, according to the EPA, are: abdominal pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting and nausea, dry cough, diarrhea, blistering around the mouth and pneumonia.

The EPA adds the “acute health effects” of cylindrospermopsin are: fever, headache, vomiting, bloody diarrhea.


Closer to home, the Oregon Health Authority states, “There are no federal regulations for cyanotoxins in drinking water, but other states and countries have developed drinking water standards and guidelines for various cyanotoxins. Oregon has adopted provisional health-based guideline values for the four cyanotoxins of greatest concern in our drinking. Drinking water guideline values are designed to be protective of very young children from birth to 5 years of age. All guideline values are designed to protect against acute or short-term exposure effects. Much less is known about the health effects of chronic or longterm exposure to lower concentrations.”

If you think you’ve been poisoned by cyanobacterial toxins, go see a doctor right away.

Can you use the tap water elsewhere?

The OHA and other officials said, “Bathing, swimming, showering and brushing teeth with water that has levels less than the non-drinking water use guidelines is safe as long as you avoid swallowing the water.”

Washing dishes by hand and washing your clothes is OK.

Pets, dogs especially, are “sensitive to cyanotoxins.”

Above all, don’t boil the water. Boiling contaminated water does not remove cyanotoxins and can, in fact, increase toxin levels.