|
|
Article: The cell from hell: toxic algae that thrive on pollutants are killing fish, making people sick, and spreading nationwide.(pfiesteria)
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- July 28, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Retired North Carolina fisherman David Jones struggles with symptoms similar to those of several chronic afflictions: the mental confusion of Alzheimer's, the physical crippling of multiple sclerosis, the wasting of AIDS. But Jones has none of these. Doctors say all the evidence points to a neurological assault by algae.
Jones is one of about 100 North Carolina victims--fishermen, commercial divers, marine construction workers--who appear to have been poisoned by pfiesteria, a toxic alga found in the state's eastern rivers and estuaries. The victims' symptoms can include open sores, nausea, memory loss, fatigue, disorientation, and the near-total incapacitation ...