PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A health alert has been issued in the area of Maximo Park in the Bay area after cyanotoxins associated with blue-green algae were detected in the waters.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has posted the alert on it's Protecting Together website.

If ingested, water contaminated with toxic cyanobacteria can cause nausea, vomiting and, in severe cases, acute liver failure.

Residents should avoid swimming in or drinking water from these waters while blue-green algal blooms are present.

For more information about blue-green algae and a Q&A section, click here.