Summer is coming to an end, but there is still an air of vacation in the Lille metropolis. The weather is nice, hot, very hot even. And, due to the lack of sea in the immediate vicinity, some might be tempted to dive into the numerous canals, rivers, ponds and lakes in the metropolitan area. Unfortunately, this is a bad idea, for several reasons.
First of all, remember that swimming is prohibited in all metropolitan bodies of water. And this goes for both humans and animals. If the desire to take a dip will quickly pass when you see the color of the Deûle, other places, however, tempt you. However, strange as it may seem, that’s how it is. It is only near the Hem that one can usually swim.
Proliferation of cyanobacteria
Except that this is theory, the facts are quite different. This is how the MEL wanted to recall this ban this Friday, and for a very good reason. “With the intense heat of recent days, the MEL Natural Spaces teams have noted a significant proliferation of cyanobacteria on certain bodies of water in the metropolis, particularly those of the chain of lakes in Villeneuve d’Ascq,” a- we learned.
Animals and humans therefore risk more than being slapped on the wrist by circumventing the ban. It is not so much the presence of these cyanobacteria that is worrying as their excessive proliferation. So much so that the bodies of water concerned can take on a “green or blue color”, become covered in moss and give off a “strong odor”. Enough to calm the most daring.
If that is not enough, know that cyanotoxins produced by cyanobacteria “represent a health risk to humans and animals who consume contaminated water, who are in direct contact (through swimming or water activities for example). ) or indirect (via the consumption of animal or plant foodstuffs that are themselves contaminated) with contaminated water are dangerous for living beings,” warns ANSES. The agency specifies that animal deaths (dogs, livestock) have been observed in recent years. Never yet for humans, but the risk is nevertheless real. In a report from the School of Advanced Studies in Public Health, the possible effects on humans are listed as follows: gastroenteritis, nausea, vomiting, fever, symptoms comparable to the flu, eye and ear irritation, skin rashes, myalgia…