on amerisey, an in-depth lo gun violence and the staggering cost of a single gunshot wound. >> if you were to add it up, what would you say was the total bill from start to now? >> almost like 10 million dollar. >> 10 million dollar? >> $10 million. >> the toll it takes on family and caregivers. >> 20 people have been shot, probably 200, 300 people have been affected. >> who is picking up the bill for america's gun violence epidemic? the u.s. puts the islamic state in the crosshairs.

tonight, the big question: kate u.s. did he hacan the u.s. defe? some fighting with the islamists and some being held hostage by them. >> our message to anyone who harms our people is simple: america does not forget. our reach is long. we are patient. justice will be done. >> a deadly toxin threatening sea life off of california's central coast. >> a prettier in a petrie dish. what's being done to stop it? good evening. thank you for joining us. i am sheila mcvickers. joeie chin has the night off.

we begin with the islamic state. the question many are wondering here, in washington, is the united states actively involved in syria's civil war? it's a question that was raised again by reports that the u.s. military is now flying surveillance missions over syria on the orders of pompom to identify possible targets. u.s. officials say the president has not yet approved military, inside syria but that additional intelligence on i.s. was necessary fwhif strikes. >> speaking at an american legion convention in north carolina today, the president vowed justice for american journalists james foley executed by the u.n. >> rooting out isil won't be easy. it 20s to be quick. tyrants and murderers before them should recognize that kind of hatefum vision ultimately is no match for the strength and hopes of people who stand together for the security and

dignity and freedom that are the birth right of every human being. >> yesterday, the syrian government said it welcomed international support to battle i.s. but refuse to go cede any sovereignty insisted it would coordinate all efforts. >> neither the white house or the pentagon would comment directly on the surveillance striez but it reportedly includes manned and drone aircra aircraft. on the ground, battling u.s.-backed kurd forces in the iraqi military. for more than a year, the obama administration has resisted involvement in syria's civil war, but foley's gruesome beheading and the islamic state's military gains on the ground have prompted a shift in the administration's position. just this week, i.s. captured an important air base in northeastern syria beating back government forces despite syrian air power.

military analysts say i.s. a for midible fighting force would be difficult to defeat without a strong ground campaign. the islamic state does not want for fighting power among its volunteers or about 1200 foreigners around the globe including europe and the u.s. not just the united states government but many western governments are concerned about these foreign fighters leaving their shores, going over there, getting radicalized, trained and coming back. >> u.s. officials believe there are dozens of american citizens fighting for the group in syria and iraq. one of them, this man, a 33-year-old min societyan yudded as douglas macarthur mccain was killed in fwhalths syria last week end. his relatives confirm mccain, a convert to the islam had died. >> they are part of thewell disciplined, well armed military machine whose horrific brutality has made them a feared force. >> the human rights council this

week appealed for urgent international, against i.s as widespread atrocat this in regions that have left thousands dead and displaced. >> grave human rights violations are being committed daily by isil and associated armed groups. include targeted killings, forced conversions, abductions, trafficking, slavery, sexual abuse, the destruction of places of religious and cultural significance and the besieging of entire communities because of their ethnic, religious or sectarian affiliation. >> the u.s. has launched recon answer is fights over syria. what else is the white house willing to do, if anything? we are joined by jen sockye spokesperson for the u.s. state department? >> my pleasure. >> first question, we have heard described over and over again as perhaps one of the greatest threats facing this country are those american citizens who have gone overseas and who are fighting with i.s. how many americans are fighting with i.s.

and what's being done to track them? >> well, this is one of the greatest concerns that we have at this point in time, which is american citizens or western citizens from european countries who have passport did and who or would be able to return to the united states or other european countries and pose a threat. there have been a range of numbers out there. sec tear holder has used the number "dozens." i don't have a specific number for you, but i can tell you it's enough of a concern that it's at the top of our agenda. >> president obama, we know, has authorized these intelligence over flights, particularly over syrian territory and there are some who have suggested that this is, perhaps, a prelude or a precu precursor to doing something further in syria. do you think that the president has yet got the options to the table and when will he make a decision about what he will do going forward? >> well, the president is looking at a range of options that are being discussed through the inter agency. certainly secretary kerry is a

part of that and secretary hagel and many members of the national security team as we prepare to make any decision of this magnitude, we certainly want to mick sure we have the most up-to-date information. there is a range of ways to do that. so certainly, we are continuing to pursue that on the ground in the region and syria and iraq. >> in turning to iraq specifically, we have heard over and over from the u.n. and again just yesterday about the grave and horrific abuses which are taking place in northern iraq. we have heard many times, also, from members of this administration talking about the united states' moral responsibility to act? >> uh-huh. >> there is a moral responsibility to act in these situations and to not act would be immoral. what will the u.s. do, and when will it do it? >> we have undertaken a number of strikes in iraq for many of the reasons you outlined and including the further reason of the threats that we are concerned about coming from isil

to the u.s. there are a range of factors that are taken in to account. i think you can look at the record of the united states, and that speaks to our commitment to humanitarian assistance and, also, taking steps when there is a threat of a genocide as we saw in the sinjar mountains. we also look at the interests of the united states, our national security interests and what we need to do to protect american citizens. >> jen psaki, thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> u.s. air strikes and surveillance flights, are they enough to stop the advance of the islamic state? we are joined by chris dickie foreign editorial of "the daily beast" we heard president obama say over and over and again today, he does not want another war in iraq. he will not be committing american boots on the ground. we know there are trainers there. we know there are some forward air controllers because some of the airstrikes have been

laser-guided. how effective can the u.s. be if it doesn't does not make a greater commitment? >> not very. unfortunately, there is really no force on the ground. not the iraqi army. not the shia malitias. not the kurds who were supposed to be such goodfieders and certainly not the forces of bash arrest al-assad in syria that can take on the forces of isil and hold the territory even if the united states bombers and u.s. drones mac it very difficult for isis or is at any given moment to fight, at the ends of the day, somebody's got to go in ahead and hold the territory. there are no troops that did do that at the moment. >> if there are no troops that can go in and hold that territory on the ground, we know that is is unusually well armed. we know it is very wealthy. what does this mean, do you think, in terms of what the shape of that coming battle is?

>> well, you would think that part of the goal of any military offensive at this point would be to begin to deprive isis of funding. for instance, they have taken over a number of oil fields in syria and some in iraq and they areability smuggle that oil out and make millions of dollars doing it. if those oil fields were taken away from them, then you would take away substantial resources. you also can make sure that you drive them away from objectives that would be hugely damage to go u.s. interest, for instance, erbil, the capitol of the kurdish regionons. they are forces of is are right on the edge of baghdad. it's not like out in the wilderness. they are in fall uj al and ahmea, part of baghdad. so the question is can you prevent them at the end of the day from

advancing into the capitol of iraq? these are huge objectives and huge difficulties. i think it's going to be a real long fight to try to neutralize the threat on the ground at the same time the threat here in the united states and in europe increases dramatically. >> chris editor of the daily beast, thank you for joining us. gun violence in america. the mind-blowing cost of a gunshot wound. >> almost like $10,000,000. my first year, i accumulate almost $2 million worth of bills. >> sarah hoi travels to chicago and uncovers that it's more than just the victim who is paying the price. the her wayne explosion? >> you can find heroin on every corner. >> travel to go remember mont to report on the epdimmic there. more to his story.

the state calls a truce in their war on drugs. what this means for those fighting for a second chance.

>> fault lines labor day marathon the true cost of cheap labor >> nothing can be worse than this people burnt to ash... >> horrendous conditions... traffic labor on us bases... management stealing wages... exploited children put to work... >> how many of you get up at 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning to go out to the fields? don't miss our award

winning series fault lines labor day marathon only on al jazeera america chicago is a city that bleeds more than almost any other. so far this year almost 200 murders have been reported by the police department. au often ignored are those who live. in chicago alone this year, almost 1300 people have been shot. but what happens after you're hit? from the start, it's care that doesn't come cheap. america tonight, sarah hoi breaks down the cost of the

bullet. >> it was july 27th, 2005, was a mighty day, a hot day. i got paid that day. it was a great day. some guys was outside of high building asking me questions about the job. we were talking. the shots rang out. >> derek owens was just 21 years old what stranger shot him twice while on his way home from work. >> the worst of my life. i couldn't make a sound. felt like hot lava, lie my insides was burning. doctors confirmed his worst nightmare. he was paralyzed and would never walk again. >> i was 21, you know. i felt like i was on top of my game. i was doing everything i wanted to do. i had everything that i wanted, and from doing that, from being waited on hand and foot, it was like almost a child again. >> when it comes to gun violence, what usually gets attention are those who die. often overlooked are those who

live. and the enormous costs that go with it. gunshot wounds are the third leading cause of spinal cord injuries, primaryly affecting young uninsured men with long-term health costs easily climbing in to the millions. owens was uninsured at the time of his shooting, leaving the hospital to pick up the initial tab with the remainder needing to be covered by his disability and medicaid benefits up. >> when you were to add it up, what would you say at the end of the day was the total bill from start to now? >> looking at like almost like $10 million. >> technimillion dollar? >> seriously because my first year, i accumulated almost like $2 milli $2 million worth of bills back and forth after the initial surgery. i lost a major organ so i was back and forth, you know, under a lot of drugs, a lot of machinery. i had pick lines in march home, september home with home healthcare nurses.

it was expensive. >> dr. james dougherty was the director of christ advocate medical center where owens was taken. dougherty said the majority of people who are shot live. >> if you look at the numbers from chicago, roughly 1/5 of the patients who are shot are homicides but there is a large population of individuals who survive begunshot wounds. beyond the injuries many of these patients ends up having long-term health problems. >> that equal long-term costs. a university of chicago crime lab studies puts the cost of violence about 100 violence a year. with the shootings in the windy city costing 2 and a ha$2 and a billion dollars or about $2,500 per household. >> it's not uncommon for us to have a patient who has a total hospital bill for their acute inpatient bill for over a

million dollars. >> that patient has no insurance? essentially that's free charity care provided by the hospital. >> that's over a million dollars for just the first year of medical bills. add rod court costs, metal healthcare and unemployment. by one estimate, annual firearm injuries end up costing $645 per gun in america. >> dougherty says it's not who you think who is paying the price >> there is a belief that all trauma patients deserve being shot, they are all gang bangers. >> that's not true. what we find is the majority of our patients are not necessarily in gangs and the shooting itself did not necessarily revolve around any gang related incident. often the majority of our patients are innocent victims. >> in may, michael brown was chi driving in chicago's suburbs when he felt the window crack. >> it felt like someone punched

me in my left shoulder in the back, and and i knew it wasn't just that t knocked me over. i slumped over the wheel. >> the 55-year-old father of two had been hit by a stray bullet. >> i am not a gang banger. i am not a thug. you know, i am a teacher, you know, and i am think, why would someone want to shoot me, you know an act of randaom violence >> you were wrong place, wrong time? >> yeah. obviously, i was just driving along in my car, you know. a bullet came through the driver's side back window and it hit me in the back. >> that bullet would leave brown without the use of his arms or legs, changing his life forever. >> i don't know whether i will ever be able to teach again or work again, you know. you are left in a state of

wonderment, you know, about your own financial future. brown stayed for hospitalization and strenuous physical therapy my wife, of course, she was working full-time and she had to leave her job. it's affected her tremendously because she and my sons and my niece are my primary caregivers. if 20 people have been shot, probably 200, 300 people have been affected, you know. and in my case, sometimes i lay up in the bed and i think about, which you have a lot of time to think, about how this one bullet, you know, has changed so many lives. >> brown had taught high school math for 34 years and pastored for 17 at the church he founded with his wife. losing his place at the pulpit may prove to be his biggest cost of all. >> how hard has it been for you

not to be able to minister? >> oh, i get a little emotional when i talk about it because i -- ministry is my life, you know, and to not be able to stand there and do what god has called me to do, i can't describe it because it's heart-wrenching. >> it's been nearly a decade since derek owens was shot. he lives with his sister in a modest house on the city's south side that isn't wheel-chair accessible but he insists on doing most things himself. every day, he is reminded of the all too familiar sounds of the high cost of gun violence. >> yeah. i see a lot of guys in this neighborhood who are in wheelchairs, especially in the inglewood neighborhood. >> owens volunteers add at vo cat christ that connecticuts trauma victims and teaches them how to adjust to their new lives? >> the bus, you know, get on.

i don't want nobody else to go through or feel the way i did when i sat in a house for a while looking out the window. it's good to talk with someone early and let them know so they can kind of be prepared for opposing to letting them go through the struggle feeling like nobody is there with them to relate. >> on a recent afternoon, he is showing a friend how to drive. >> when i go and talk to him, i talk how i am talking now, you know. and i basically tell him what it is. it's going to be okay, but, you know, it takes time. it's going to be hard. it's not easy. and you have to prepare yourself for that. >> owens says the wheelchair doesn't define him. >> you know, we are not defined by this gun violence. none of us are. it's just a time and a place. it will pass. it will change, and it's just sad that we all have to go through it right now, we are experiencing it. but the sun shall shine again. it definitely will. >> but the price for the bullet that caught him down is one he

is staying. sarah hoi, al jazeera, chicago. >> surviving a gunshot wound is just the beginning and not the end of the trauma. we are joined by scott charles, a trauma outreach coordinator at temple university we heard about sometimes the multi-million dollar cost of surviving gunshot wounds, clearly not all of the effects, what's the true cost of gun violence? >> it's incredibly hard to calculate. i mean .1 of the things that we are talking about young men in particular in the primes of their lives and so you've got lost work. you've got kind of a break in social linkages, so, you know, the very act of getting shot and getting victimized in this way is that you are less likely to want to leave the house just from a real practical standpoint. it becomes a liability to do the

very much things that might help you recover such as socializing, being with people who are supportive, going to work and kind of getting back on track. those are all things that could possibly lead to you being revictimized. what we find. we become a shut in not to mention suffering from post-traumatic stress and the challenges that lie within that the other this i is an individual who has been shot by and large will be young men who are disadvantaged, and so you have all of the other issues that come with that being compounded and with a when he find a lot of times because they are disadvantaged, because they don't have access to the types of traditional healthcare that might get them on their feet and help with the healing process, they become shut-in and a vicious cycle of self medicating, of social isolation,

of great depression. it's a heck of thing we put on these individuals. >> the odds of being shot in philadelphia really depend upon who you are. probably 90% are male. 80% are going to be african-american and people more likely to be shot than not is young peek n philadelphia, gunshots are the leading cost of death between 18 and 29. the drop-off from gunshot injury to the second leading cause of death, car accidents would be an incredibly steep drop. >> scott charles, trauma outreach coordinator at temple university hospital, thank you. back to chick now n 2013, more than 400 people were shot and killed on the streets there. "america tonight" christoph

spent in americats homicide capitol in search of answers. activists, gang members and former gang members. while they may have had different beliefs as to why there were so many killings in their city, they all agree to easy access to guns was a major problem. next week on "america tonight," we return to chicago where the fight to save young black men from gun violence still ranges on. . >> how have you been coping over the past year? >> trying. trying, trying not to cry in front of them. you know, there are days i can lay across my bed and tears just flow. days i get up downstairs and don't come out of this room no. >> how is it for you walking the streets these days? >> normal like any other person. >> not every other person has been shot six times? >> you know, that was in the past.

you got to get over it. get over it. you just don't look back. >> we return to the fight for chicago next tuesday on america tonight. . >> the ebola outbreak from africa and the new fears about containing the spread of the virus. the world health organization shuts down a lab and more health workers are dying and being infected. the latest next. plus, an outbreak of another kind, marine wildlife dying off of the california coast at an alarming rate. scientists say they know why but what's being done? done?

>> al jazeera america presents >> it's a beginning of a new life for me. i can't keep running from everything. >> 15 stories one incredible journey edge of eighteen premiers september 7th only on al jazeera america >> a snapshot of stories making headlines. deadly overdoses from prescription pain pills dropped following the legalization of legal marijuana, a study by the journal of american medical association. over a 10-year periods, states that legalize medicinal marijuana ba saw 25% fewer overdoses. to the ongoing crisis in crain where the fighting in and around donetsk has intensified. ukrainian forces shelled the eastern city this morning, setsing fire to houses and shops. also, officials announced today that four ukrainian border guards were killed in a russian

helicopter attack near luhansk. 12 janian service members have been killed in the last 24 hours. jubilation on the streets of gaza as residents celebrated the latest ceasefire agreement between israel and hamas. the open-ended ceasefire was brokered by the egyptians. it includes an agreement to open border crossings between gaza and israel to allow for humanitarian relief. >> now to the growing tension in west africa where the ebola virus is spreading at an alarming rate. the democratic republic of congo is the 5ths african country dealing with the virus after health officials confirm the country's first two cases. hope for the experiment drug zmap, given ib to the two americans who survived ebola has been tempered by the death of a liberian doctor given one of the doses. >> the virus has killed more than 400 people in west africa and infected many others.

more than 2600 cases have been reported in the region. nigeria's health minister says the country has thus far contained the virus with just one of 13 confirmed cases being treated now in isolation. the world health organization withdrew its staff from an ebola laboratory in sierra leon after one of its staff was infected. more than 120 health workers have died from the virus. >> "new york times" video journalist ben solomon has been on the ground in sierra leon documenting not only the ebola outbreak but the struggles and obstacles healthcare workers are facing every single day. tlfrnlths there is no isolation. you make mistakes here, you get i know ed.

a highly contagion corpse being carried through a public hall. outside, a dirty tank in the waiting room with those with common ailments mix with patients potentially infected. >> joining us via skype from freetown, sierra leone. >> you have been there for some weeks. how is the situation on the ground? are there any signs of any kind of improvement? >> shul things are improving. when i first got here, big problem was that people didn't believe ebola was real. there wasn't a widespread campaign to convince people that this was a national emergency. >> that's different now. people believe it's real. people know that it's serious. they have seen a lot of the deaths. they have heard about big problems and people take it a lot more seriously. so things in terms ofs understanding the disease and appreciating how deadly it is

are out there? >> one of the most moving parts of your article was talking about the young men who call themselves the burial boys who have taken charge of burying the bodies of the dead. talk to me a little bit about the kind of challenges they are facing in their communities and the shunning that's going on. >> i spent about three or four days working with them, going out on their regular rungs. i would say after three days, i was absolutely exhausted. they drive eight hours a day to go between villages and pick up bodies and bury them within the community so that people in these communities don't touch the bodies and don't get infected, themselves, with what might potentially be ebola. they are hard-working. they are dedicated. they are patriotic. they are wonderfully excited to do the work and help. but it's unbelievably difficult and really, they are only doing these burials in places that call them, places that report their victims. it's totally unknown the places

that don't and what we suspect is that maybe dozens of these small villages are doing the burials themselves and spreading the disease. >> "new york times" video journalist ben solomon, thank you so much? >> thank you. >> vermont is also dealing with a medical epidemic of a different kind. a few months ago, we reported on vermont's full-blown heroin crisis. now, there is more to the story. the governor announced vermont is quitting the drug war and instead will treat heroin abuse as a medical issue. the new policies will focus on treatment rather than prosecution and, also expand medical options to treat addiction and prevent overdose options that were not available to some of the recovering addicts in adam may's original piece. you. >> jail, institutions, i have been through it all.

i really didn't think i would be sitting here today ask fooch don't make enough money to get by. they will go without food but steal from friends an mesh. >> heroin is striking small towns like rutland ver, ver monday. >> no matter what, 24/7, 365, you are plotting in your head on how to get the next high. it's an every day struggle, an every-second struggle. >> vermont now ranks number 2 in the country for people seeking treatment for opiat edition tucked away between the trendy restaurants is serenity house, a halfway home for addicts trying to beat odds and get clean. matthew and ashley were two

hard-core heroin addicts now going through recovery. >> how hard is it? >> it destroys you. it really does. it destroys you. mentally, you are all over the plates. it's a rollercoaster and you deal with it for the rest of your life. >> yeah. >> you don't graduate from addiction. you are not cured. >> since last year, deaths from opiate over dosz have doubled in vermont. the number of vermonters seeking treatment has increased 771% since 2000. almost everyone we spoke to here knew someone affected by addiction. . >> i don't know what to do because the pain, the hurt. it's just too much. >> carol is one of many broken parents of children in the grip of heroin addiction. she asked that we not show her face. >> i wake up every morning, and i thank god that while my son is still alive, i think, you know, i think. i haven't heard from him. i think.

i think he's okay. i think he hasn't gotten in trouble with the law. >> do you think at all he considers how this has impacted you? >> i don't think they care. i don't think they care as long as they get their fix. >> how serious is the heroin problem in vermont right now? >> right now, my patients tell me you can find heroin on every corner, street corner in burlington, for example. it's in area town. >> dr. deb richter is one of vermont's leading addiction specialists. she said the current heroin invasion could be traced back to the abruce of cheap, powerful painkillers that were too easy to get. >> i think it is a particular problem in rural states. perhaps boredom. not sure. i was in primary care and i remember seeing it. i lived here in 1999. in the early 2000, 2001 >> i started seeing a bunch of 20-year-olds come in with habits

of oxycontin. to me, that was sort of the turning point of how things happened. it started out with pills. >> pills that were crushable and easy to snort. dr. richter believes pharmaceutical companies could have done more to present this epidemic. >> how did heroin become the problem here? what did it did stem from? >> see essentially when the company chose not to put a coating. it made it different to snort. most started snorting it. >> with percocet and other powerful painkillers going for $80 a pill, heroin became the cheaper alternative. heroin dealers saw a major market in towns like rutland and major profit. >> what we are seeing is, you know, we are right near new york. we are near massachusetts. we are near connecticut. and people can take a couple hour trip down to these places and score some really cheap heroin and sell it for a lot more here.

>> we had known she was using -- we didn't know she was using drugs until she was in the cocaine addiction around the age of 15 to 16. >> patrick martin's daughter, sarah, started using drugs in high school. but with treatment, her parents thought she was out of danger. >> she had turned her life around and applied to college. life was good. she had a good job. she was vibrant. we were ready to see what was in the future for her because we knew it would be good. >> but martin's life shattered one night when police knocked on his door. >> it was devastating. i had had a loss before but i had never had a loss of my child. nobody should be burying their child. nobody should be trying to figure out the clothes they are going to put them in, in the casket. >> after sarah's death patrick and his wife started coming by this bench in downtown rut land. it was sarah's favorite spot to relax and where the martins

decided to start a support group for others like them to help families understand and cope, they named the group, wit's end. >> if we just save one other person, help one other person live, help another family save their child, then her life won't have been any vain. she was so much more than drugs. >> adam may, rutland, vermont. >> a deadly outbreak in the waters just off of california's coast. >> callingly for his mom, it's om three months old, too young to survive on his own. >> it's a lethal toxin moving up the food chain. next, america tonight's michael opple tracks down the culprit and examines why it's so hard to stop.

12k3w4r6r78ing across the u.s. from lake erie to the gulf of mexico, we are seeing more and more toxic algae blooms. the problem has become so serie that last month, president obama signed a bill to combat toxic algae but now, another lethal outbreak along the california coast. the story. >> i see a sea lion.

>> on this sandy stretch along california's central coast, a citing that lately has been all too familiar: a sea lion has washed up on shore. it's alive but barely. disoriented and suffering seizures, it's in agony. first responder geno durango and his team from the from the marine ma'amal center have rushed in to help. as is custom, the rescue team allows the concerned onlookers to name the ma'amal. they go with pepa. >> the goal with pepa is to give her more medication and fluids to help her seizures and other issues that she is having. >> minutes in, it's already clear, the treatment doesn't appear to be working. pepa continues to experience crimming seizures.

. >> in a race against time, the team consults supervising veterinarians. >> so we have given her three doses of lorazipam so far. >> on the other end of the line, doctors at the marine ma'amal center in the largest rehabilitation hospital foresee ma'amals in the world. sean johnson is the center's director of vetnary science. he says he has seen hundreds of animals. >> we have rescued about 1816 animals within our rescue range. >> the ward is filled with them. once majestic marine ma'amals now week and legitimate arrangics, heads lulling, a tail-tell side we are told the animals have been afflicted by something that's made them unbalanced. all of them like pepa were found seizing on the beach. the vets will examine each one to make a diagnosis. >> still doing urinary tag and

blood. >> we are apparently most likely say she had her disease demoic ac acid. >> it is released by an algae bloom at the is noter of a wide anything cycle. small fish eat the algae and bigger animals like sea lions feed on the poison fish. since january, he has some almost double the rate of democi acids? >> it's an increased year of the we are seeing increased numbers in all of the species we have cared for this year. >> it's not just sea lions. on thers are federally protected species are dying from demoic acid. >> whales are stranded. ground pelicans that have ingested the toxic have literally dropped dead from the sky. >> they were the highest in 14 years. >>. prod the department of health to

issue an advisory and to close certain fisheries. it's since been lifted but officials are keeping a watchful eye knowing how dangerous the toxin can be. the democ acid outbreak in 1987 killed three people and sickened over 100 more. several were left with permanent brain damage. >> the idea is to just skim the surface of the water and get a sense of what's right at the surface. >> three decades later, signits like clairissa anderson are trying to figure out how to prevent the deadly blooms. >> we are putting nutrients, the ones that seem to be important are from places like septic tanks or fertilizers for golf courses. we have one of the most important golf courses in the world here in monterey bay and they apply fertilizers. >> about 800,000 tons of nitrogen are used as vert liser in california every year. mostly for farming.

anderson says at least some of it is spilling in to the oceans which can trigger al gentleman to produce toxic democ acid. it's expensive. in coming years, algae blooms are expected to cost the u.s. $50 million annually in clean-up and job losses. >> is all of this, you know, adequately regulated, do you think? >> the california state water resources control board, they are doing a lot, but they are certainly susceptible to pressures of all of the different interest groups that are involved. >> this is one of the more difficult issues that we are dealing with. >> rick grass massachusettsan is with california's water control board. he said it's hard to determine exactly what's behind the rides in democ acid because many farmers aren't required to tell the state which fertilizers they are using. >> what are farmers required to report in terms of what it is they are using on their crops? >> fair question. if we are talking pesticides,

that's an easy answer because they have 100% use reporting requirement in the department of pesticide regulation. nutrients, we don't have that kind of reporting system at this point. >> there are no consistent statewide limits on the amount of fertilizer farmers can use. what's more, scientists aren't sure what those limits should be. >> it's a harder job for our signits and engineers to right the correct levels in permits because it varies depending upon the water body. >> it's bad enough that we have large numbers of animals dying. >> yeah. >> but unless this is taken care, there is always the potential that we could harm human life as well. >> yeah. sure. >> you guys think about that? >> absolutely. >> as reallators fine tune the rules, marine ma'amals continue to suffer. in roughly half of all democ acid poisoning cases, they don't

survive medical staff had been trying to save pepa for almost three hours. >> she had been seizing for about hurt or 40 minutes. nothing happened so she eventually died while we are doing other stuff in here. yeah. >> pepa's body was transported to sauce light 0 for necropcy, animal autopsy to determine the cause of death. basically atrophy of the hippocampus. that's what we see with toxicosis. >> based upon the results, she most likely died of democ acid looking at her ma'amary tissue. there is a pup calling for her mom or his mom. it's only three months old, too young to survive on its own. >> johnson says he has seen hundreds of animals die from demotic acid poisoning this summer.

this fall, an el n i & o system is expected to flood the ocean with run-off endangering many more? >> these blooms are getting more frequent and larger every year, it seems like. and affecting more and more animals. the sea lions are the sentinels of the sea. they are eating the fish. we have a public health department that's protecting this from this toxic by testing the fish and protecting our food source but there could be a time where they can't protect us any more for now, johnson and his team are doing their best to rehabilitate these animals. the day after pepa died, another sea lion got a second chance at life. >> this is a success story. her name is sleep walker. she has been in their care for about 14 days. they feel that she's completely

up for being released today. but the risk is as always, with demoic acid poisoning that she might not quite remember how to fend for herself. >> bon voyage. >> so satisfying to see these animals go back in the wild. you can just tell they are so happy. they run to the ocean and i think they look back and they are like, is it okay for me to go? you know, they are making sure that it's okay. i think they definitely look back and say goodbye in their own way. >> michael oku, al jazeera, sauce lig saucilito, california. >> a beloved politicians once center stage and in the limelight, now, not so much. >> do you know who he is? >> yes. >> are you still the lieutenant governor? >> they haven't kicked me out.

>> wednesday, an american tonight, joeie chen sits down with the candid former mayor of san francisco about his career, highs, lows and plans to r re-emerge on the political scene.

finally, tonight, one of the most revered priests in latin america may soon be a saint. archbishop rommero was killed for confronting el salvador backed dictatorship. pope francis is putting the process on the fast track.

>> tus in this small chapel, a sunday mass like any other. >> hurnlingsz had come again to hear. a mass, he was gunned down. in the .3 years before his death in 1980, he used the pulpit to speak out against government repress and killings of the poor. he gave a voice to thousands of sal vad orians. in a recording of his last sermon, he pleaded with the military. he said, i big you. i order you in the name of god, stop the repress. >> a close aid of romero had no doubt what that would mean. >> i thought in that moment, he signed his death sentence. >> romero's murder was one of the sparks which ignited the

civil war between the government and left wing guerillas. for decades, man salvadorians hoped he would be made a saint. catholic pope francis has lifted a ban on the vatican from doing so. >> there were difringsdz in our country but also within the church's hierarchiy. that blocked the processes. vis country but also within the church's hierarchiy. that blocked the processes. . >> people come here every day to pay respects. many already consider him a saint. but many of the right-wing of politics remember him as a divisive figure. >> they question the political views of a man revered by so many. >> his sermons distorted reality and offended a part of our society. he is not a martyr. he is part of our history. >> said the country must follow

his example. he loaves the church must pro mote piece now according to one of the most violent countries in the world. >> romero, romero would be attentive to the people suffering today. he would say what was needed to come up with solutions. they are hoping if he is a saint he will be a much needed role model for the next generation. marina sanchez salvador. >> it for us here on "america tonight." remember if you would like to comment on any of the stories you have seen tonight, just log on to our website, aljazeera.com/americatonight and join the conversation on our twitter or football page. good night and we will have more of america tonight tomorrow.

>> after seven weeks of blood shed, israel and hamas reach a new open-ended cease-fire. why did hamas accept an offer that hasn't changed in a month and a half. a former cia director on what makes the islamic state group more dangerous than al-qaeda. welcome to "consider this". those stories and much more straight ahead. >> a celebration in the