Spa town Spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word "spa" is derived from the name of Spa, a town in Belgium. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath in 1668. He became interested in the curative properties of the hot mineral waters there and in 1676 wrote "A discourse of Bathe, and the hot waters there. Also, Some Enquiries into the Nature of the water". This brought the purported health-giving properties
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae Aphanizomenon flos-aquae Aphanizomenon flos-aquae is a brackish and freshwater species of cyanobacteria found around the world, including the Baltic Sea and the Great Lakes. "Aphanizomenon flos-aquae" can form dense surface aggregations in freshwater (known as "cyanobacterial blooms"). These blooms occur in areas of high nutrient loading, historical or current. "Aphanizomenon flos-aquae" has both toxic and nontoxic forms. Most sources worldwide are toxic, containing both hepatic and neuroendotoxins. Most cyanobacteria (including "Aphanizomenon") produce BMAA, a neurotoxin amino acid implicated in ALS/Parkinsonism. Toxicity of "A. flos-aquae" has been reported in Canada, Germany and China. "Aphanizomenon flos-aquae" is known to produce endotoxins, the