YOU. FIVE FOR YOUR HEALTH TONIGHT. THERE ARE NEW WARNINGS FOR BEACH WATERS HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS. AND EXPERTS SAY EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW THE SIGNS TO STAY OUT. SO DR. LUCA PIZZO IS HERE TO EXPLAIN IT RIGHT NOW. HE'S JOINING US TONIGHT FROM THE EMERGENCY ROOM AT MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL. WE WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU, DOCTOR, SOME OF OUR VIEWER VIDEOS. SKY 5 WAS OVER COCHITUATE STATE PARK IN NATICK TODAY. IT WAS THIS AFTERNOON. IT WAS CLOSED TO SWIMMERS DUE TO A CYANOBACTERIA BLOOM. A WHAT IS IT? AND B WHAT IS THE DANGER? YES. SO THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. THE GREENISH-BLUE ALGAE THAT YOU SEE THERE ON THE SURFACE OF THE WATER IS CYANOBACTERIA. THEY CALL IT THAT BECAUSE CYAN IS THE COLOR. IT'S BLUE-GREEN. WE ALSO CALL IT BLUE-GREEN ALGAE. AND THE RISK IS THAT THE BACTERIA THAT IS THAT ALGAE PRODUCE A TOXIN, AND THAT TOXIN CAN MAKE PEOPLE AND PETS VERY SICK. AND EVEN IF THEY ARE PLAYING IN OR AROUND THE WATER AND NOT IN A PART WHERE THE ALGAE ITSELF IS, WE ARE CONCERNED THAT IT MAY BE A RISK TO THEM BECAUSE THAT TOXIN IS SPREADING THROUGHOUT THE WATER ITSELF. AND SO WE WOULD WARN FANS, PETS, AND CHILDREN TO STAY AWAY WHILE A HARMFUL ALGAE BLOOM LIKE THIS IS IN THE WATER. YOU JUST SAID IT, DOCTOR. BUT IF THE WATER GETS ON YOU OR YOUR PETS, ESPECIALLY IN THEIR MOUTH, TELL US EXACTLY WHAT TO DO. YES. SO THAT'S REALLY THE PROBLEM WE'RE CONCERNED WITH INGESTION. THIS CAN CAUSE SOME PRETTY SEVERE NAUSEA, SOME GASTROINTESTINAL DISCOMFORT AND DIARRHEA, AND PETS AND YOUNG CHILDREN WHO DON'T KNOW TO AVOID THE WATER, OR WHO WE ARE MOST WORRIED ABOUT, CHILDREN PLAYING IN THE WATER COULD TOUCH THE WATER AND PUT THEIR HANDS IN THEIR MOUTH. PETS THAT ARE THERE COULD DRINK IT. IF YOU INTAKE THE WATER OR FEEL ANY SYMPTOMS NEAR ANY BODY OF SUCH WATER, WE WANT TO SEE YOU IMMEDIATELY IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM. IF YOU HAVE COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE WATER OR YOUR PET HAS, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO WASH THAT BODY PART AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH A CLEAN WATER SOURCE. IT CAN BE TAP WATER OR EVEN BOTTLED WATER THAT YOU HAVE ON HAND, BUT DECONTAMINATION IS KEY. AND DOCTOR, YOU SAID “IMMEDIATELY,” I'M GOING TO EMPHASIZE THAT WORD AGAIN. WE SHOWED THE VIDEO OVER LAKE COCHITUATE. IS THIS JUST A PROBLEM WITH FRESH WATER OR DOES IT HAPPEN IN SEA WATER TOO? YES. SO CYANOBACTERIA IS IN ALL OCEAN WATERS. THE REALLY HARMFUL BLOOMING, THE REALLY HARMFUL BLOOMING. YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF RED TIDE. THAT'S A VERY DRAMATIC NAME. THIS RED TIDE IS A DIFFERENT TYPE OF BACTERIA. BUT A DIFFERENT HARMFUL ALGAE BLOOMING. A HARMFUL OVERGROWTH LIKE THIS CAN DEVELOP IN ANY BODY OF WATER ON THE PLANET. IT JUST HAPPENS THAT WE ARE SEEING IT RIGHT AT THIS TIME IN OUR BACKYARD. DOCTOR LISA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON. WE

Dozens of Massachusetts beaches closed ahead of July 4

Updated: 4:59 p.m. EDT, July 2, 2024

Dozens of Massachusetts beaches are closed ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, according to a state water quality dashboard. The list of closed beaches spans Cape Cod, Greater Boston, the North Shore and the Berkshires. Most of these locations, the list says, are unsafe due to harmful bacteria levels. The Department of Health warns that swimming in unsafe water can lead to illness and infection. “The risk is there even if you just stick your toes in because the bacteria are there and can cause a skin reaction,” warned Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robert Goldstein. “We strongly recommend that when people see the sign, they avoid contact with the water for themselves and even their pets.” Massachusetts authorities conduct weekly water quality tests at the beginning of each week from Memorial Day to Labor Day. People with a history of water quality issues will be tested more frequently. A full list of beach water safety advisories can be found HERE

LYNN, Mass. —

According to a state water quality dashboard, dozens of beaches in Massachusetts are closed ahead of the July 4 holiday.

The list of closed beaches spans Cape Cod, Greater Boston, the North Shore and the Berkshires. Most of these locations, the list shows, are unsafe due to levels of bacteria that are harmful to health.

The health department warns that swimming in unsafe water can lead to diseases and infections.

“The risk exists even if you just stick your toes in because the bacteria are there and can cause a skin reaction,” warned Dr. Robert Goldstein, public health commissioner. “We strongly recommend that people who see these signs avoid contact with the water for themselves and even their pets.”

Massachusetts authorities conduct weekly water quality tests at the beginning of each week from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Those that have had water quality problems in the past are tested more frequently.