Florida Senator Bill Nelson is calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide South Floridians with detailed information on health hazards associated with toxic algae blooms centered on Lake Okeechobee.
The blooms are plaguing the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers and estuaries as a result of discharges from Lake O.
Nelson is also asking the CDC to begin studying any potential long-term health effects caused by coming in direct contact with the algae through activities such as swimming or by simply breathing it in.
The Army Corps of Engineers has suspended the Lake O discharges.
Governor Rick Scott has also issued an emergency order allowing the water to be stored in additional areas to the south.