A team from the University of Technology Sydney has completed a study of BMAA toxin levels.

The neurotoxin, which is suspected to contribute to the Riverina’s high rate of Motor Neurone Disease, was found at 70 per cent of test sites.

Motor Neurone Disease, publicised in recent years by the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ fundraiser, is a degenerative condition that cuts off communication between the brain and muscles.

UTS School of Life Science PhD candidate Brendan Main, the lead author of the study, said high levels of BMAA toxin had been found within algal blooms in the Riverina.

“It sounds relatively small, but in the Murrumbidgee we were seeing 28 micrograms of BMAA per gram,” he said.

“It was some of the highest concentrations I was aware of.”

Murrumbidgee River test sites included Wagga at Lake Albert, Balranald and Burrinjuck.

Mr Main said it could be inferred that some of the high readings west of Wagga would also be present near the city during algal blooms.

“We can probably expect similar levels,” he said.

Though the study found high BMAA levels in water bodies in both urban and rural areas, including in Sydney, the presence of the toxin near farmland was a particular concern.

“The presence of these toxins in waterways used for irrigation presents concerns for public health and food security in Australia,” the study stated.

“Monitoring these emerging toxins in Australian waterways is required to allow informed decisions to be made about the risks associated with their presence.”

Mr Main said there was a strong scientific link between BMAA in the water and the incidence of MND.

“There has been a lot of research over the past decade on how humans are exposed to BMAA,” he said.

“One theory is that it accumulates in the food chain similar to mercury and other heavy metals.

“It accumulates as it moves through the chain and humans, on the top of the food chain, can end up consuming a large dose.”

Mr Main said the best response that Wagga and Riverina residents could make to the study was to follow blue-green algae warnings.

“Stay away from the water when it’s in bloom,” he said.

“I spend a lot of time in Griffith and lot of people there are well aware that they should not be around places like Lake Wyangan when there is blue-green algae.

“I’d reiterate warnings to stay away from waterways and avoid fishing when they are contaminated, when they have bloom.”

Mr Main said there would be further research and more detailed testing.

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