Senate inquiry into algal bloom moves to Port Lincoln after hearings in Adelaide

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A senate inquiry into South Australia's algal bloom continues today in the fishing capital of Port Lincoln. Yesterday the inquiry heard people with asthma are now being advised to take precautions around sea foam after the detection of a toxin which is known to exacerbate symptoms.

Transcript

00:00Well, it's been pretty normal in South Australia along the beach to come across discoloured

00:07foam. Sometimes there are mounds of algal foam blowing into the air. The advice over

00:13the last couple of months, the official health advice, has been that this poses no extra

00:18risk to people with asthma. But the Senate inquiry has heard that advice was wrong because

00:24a harmful brevitoxin has been detected. Now health authorities are recommending that people

00:29should carry medication if they're asthma sufferers on beaches with foam. But Gemma,

00:35it's raised questions around the government's testing regime because it only did this further

00:40testing when an unusual amount of foam appeared on Henley Beach just a few weeks ago. Here's

00:47what SA Principal Water Quality Advisor David Cunliffe had to say.

00:51That information has just become available in the last one to two weeks. There was an

00:55announcement about the detection in the foam last Thursday. So that's quite recent.

01:02The inquiry also heard from scientists urging marine surveys and ongoing monitoring. They

01:09say that this is underfunded. The inquiry yesterday also heard from First Nations leaders, Naranjeri

01:16Elder Mark Kulmatri, who spoke about the emotional toll the algal bloom is having on First Nations

01:22communities unable to use the water for healing. Now Gemma, the inquiry will be in Port Lincoln

01:29today. And as part of that, there'll be an open mic section where members of the public

01:33will be able to walk up and have their say before the inquiry travels to Ardrossan and Victor

01:40Harbour later this week.

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