A WARNING has been issued for children and pets to be kept away from the water in Lough Neagh following the deaths of two dogs.
The two animals are believed to have taken ill after being in contact with the water near Rea's Wood in Antrim last week.
It is understood both dogs suffered seizures and died within an hour of taking sick.
The deaths are being investigated by Antrim and Newtownabbey Council and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) are also investigating whether water quality or pollution issues can be identified.
But an academic, who lives close to the lough, warned that children and pets should be kept away until more is known about the deaths.
Prof Chris Elliott, founder of the Institute for Global Food Security, said an algae bloom that releases toxins could be to blame, but said "at the moment it is still conjecture, because this hasn't been confirmed".
He said the blooms can be seen as a "messy green colour" in the water and "in the vast majority of cases those blooms are fine, apart from being a bit of an eye-sore".
But he said in some cases, it could produce quite toxic substances, which are then released into the water.
"Dogs are one of the most susceptible species to these toxins," he told the BBC.
"Normally I take my dog for a walk through Rea's Wood and at the moment I will not be taking my dog there.
"That would be my advice to everybody."
He added that humans would need to be exposed to a large amount of the toxins "to have any kind of dramatic acute effect" on health.
DAERA confirmed it was aware of the deaths of the two dogs.
The council also said it was "working with the dog owners, local vets and our colleagues in DAERA to best establish the full circumstances".
