Nothing brings consensus like a crisis. During Toledo’s recent drinking-water ban, conflicting ideas about how to test for toxins caused confusion for decision-makers, and hat problem sparked rare, swift action by multiple layers of government to create a uniform, statewide protocol. When Toledo’s internal water sample testing revealed potentially dangerous levels of microcystin , the city issued the ban on drinking it, and notified the state’s Environmental Protection Agency. Then the city and the EPA began sending out a series of water samples to five different labs, all with different testing procedures. “ Some of the test methods were showing that there was nothing in the water,” says Brenda Snyder, chief chemist for Toledo’s Water Division. “Some of the test methods were showing that there was a level above the World Health Organization recommended limit for drinking water.” Snyder says city officials made the right decision by erring on the side of public health throughout the
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