Algal Blooms Consistently Produce Complex Mixtures of Cyanotoxins and Co-Occur with Taste-and-Odor Causing Compounds in 23 Midwestern Lakes Completed
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U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists studying the effects of harmful algal blooms on lake water quality found that blooms of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) in Midwestern lakes produced mixtures of cyanotoxins and taste-and-odor causing compounds, which co-occurred in lake water samples. Cyanotoxins can cause allergic and/or respiratory issues, attack the liver and kidneys, or affect the nervous system in mammals, including humans. The findings of this study are significant because studies assessing toxicity and risk of cyanotoxin exposure have historically focused on only one class of toxins (microcystins). The common presence of several types of cyanotoxins indicates that there is the potential for inaccurately quantifying hazards using current assessment methods. Additionally, these results suggest that odor (e.g. earthy, musty smells) may serve as an additional warning signal of the presence of cyanotoxins in water, albeit cyanotoxins may be present in the absence of taste-and-odor problems.
Samples were collected during 2006 from near-shore locations in 23 recreational lakes in the Midwestern United States; seven of the lakes are also water-supply reservoirs. All samples were analyzed for a mixture of six different types of cyanotoxins (anatoxins, cylindrospermopsins, lyngbyatoxins, microcystins, nodularins, and saxitoxins), taste-and-odor compounds (such as geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB)), chlorophyll, and phytoplankton. Five of 6 cyanotoxin classes were detected. Microcystins were detected in 100 percent of samples, anatoxin-a in 30 percent, saxitoxins in 17 percent, cylindrospermopsins in 9 percent, and nodularins in 9 percent. Toxins and taste-and-odor compounds co-occurred in 91 percent of 23 algal blooms.
Maximum total microcystin concentrations were measured at 19,000 micrograms per liter (µg/L), anatoxin-a (9.5 µg/L), saxitoxins (0.19 µg/L), cylindrospermopsin (0.14 µg/L), and nodularin-R (0.19 µg/L). The maximum microcystin concentration was 3 orders of magnitude larger than the World Health Organization recommended guideline for recreational activities (20 µg/L). Recreational guidelines have not been established for the other measured compounds individually or in mixtures because there currently is insufficient toxicological and epidemiological data.
This study is part of an ongoing effort by the USGS to characterize the sources, occurrence, transport and fate of cyanotoxin mixtures in various environmental settings. Scientists and managers can use these data to more fully understand and manage potential threats caused by cyanotoxin exposures to humans and animals.
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Cyanotoxin mixtures and taste-and-odor compounds in cyanobacterial blooms from the midwestern united states
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- Overview
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists studying the effects of harmful algal blooms on lake water quality found that blooms of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) in Midwestern lakes produced mixtures of cyanotoxins and taste-and-odor causing compounds, which co-occurred in lake water samples. Cyanotoxins can cause allergic and/or respiratory issues, attack the liver and kidneys, or affect the nervous system in mammals, including humans. The findings of this study are significant because studies assessing toxicity and risk of cyanotoxin exposure have historically focused on only one class of toxins (microcystins). The common presence of several types of cyanotoxins indicates that there is the potential for inaccurately quantifying hazards using current assessment methods. Additionally, these results suggest that odor (e.g. earthy, musty smells) may serve as an additional warning signal of the presence of cyanotoxins in water, albeit cyanotoxins may be present in the absence of taste-and-odor problems.
Samples were collected during 2006 from near-shore locations in 23 recreational lakes in the Midwestern United States; seven of the lakes are also water-supply reservoirs. All samples were analyzed for a mixture of six different types of cyanotoxins (anatoxins, cylindrospermopsins, lyngbyatoxins, microcystins, nodularins, and saxitoxins), taste-and-odor compounds (such as geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB)), chlorophyll, and phytoplankton. Five of 6 cyanotoxin classes were detected. Microcystins were detected in 100 percent of samples, anatoxin-a in 30 percent, saxitoxins in 17 percent, cylindrospermopsins in 9 percent, and nodularins in 9 percent. Toxins and taste-and-odor compounds co-occurred in 91 percent of 23 algal blooms.
Maximum total microcystin concentrations were measured at 19,000 micrograms per liter (µg/L), anatoxin-a (9.5 µg/L), saxitoxins (0.19 µg/L), cylindrospermopsin (0.14 µg/L), and nodularin-R (0.19 µg/L). The maximum microcystin concentration was 3 orders of magnitude larger than the World Health Organization recommended guideline for recreational activities (20 µg/L). Recreational guidelines have not been established for the other measured compounds individually or in mixtures because there currently is insufficient toxicological and epidemiological data.
This study is part of an ongoing effort by the USGS to characterize the sources, occurrence, transport and fate of cyanotoxin mixtures in various environmental settings. Scientists and managers can use these data to more fully understand and manage potential threats caused by cyanotoxin exposures to humans and animals.
- Science
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Filter Total Items: 14USGS Scientist Receives Award for Assistance with National Wetlands Assessment
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientist Dr. Keith A. Loftin received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Water's Achievement in Science and Technology Award for his contributions to the National Wetlands Condition Assessment.New Study Measures Crop Bactericide, Nitrapyrin, in Iowa Streams
First-ever reconnaissance study documents the off-field transport of nitrapyrin — a nitrification inhibitor applied with fertilizers as a bactericide to kill natural soil bacteria for the purpose of increasing crop yields — to adjacent streams. This study is the first step in understanding the transport, occurrence, and potential effects of nitrapyrin or similar compounds on nitrogen processing in...Nutrients in Dust from the Sahara Desert cause Microbial Blooms on the East Coast of the United States
Saharan dust nutrients, particularly iron, deposited episodically in tropical marine waters stimulate marine microbial bloom growth and change microbial community structure.USGS Scientists Measure New Bacterial Nitrogen Removal Process in Groundwater
For the first time, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and the University of Connecticut scientists have detected active anammox bacteria in groundwater.New Study on Cyanotoxins in Lakes and Reservoirs Provides Insights into Assessing Health Risks
Newly published study provides new evidence of the widespread occurrence of cyanotoxins in lakes and reservoirs of the United States and offers new insights into measures used for assessing potential recreational health risks.Importance of Lake Sediments in Removal of Cyanobacteria, Viruses, and Dissolved Organic Carbon
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists determined that the colmation layer (top 25 centimeters of lake sediments) was highly effective in removing cyanobacteria, viruses, and dissolved organic carbon during water passage through the lake bottom to aquifer sediments.U.S. Geological Survey Scientists Complete First Systematic Regional Survey of Algal Toxins in Streams of the Southeastern United States
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists detected microcystin—an algal toxin—in 39 percent of 75 streams assessed in the southeastern United States. These results will inform and become part of a larger, systematic national survey of algal toxins in small streams of the United States.Remote Sensing Provides a National View of Cyanobacteria Blooms
Four Federal agencies, including the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), are collaborating to transform satellite data into information managers can use to protect ecological and human health from freshwater contaminated by harmful algal blooms.Toxins Produced by Molds Measured in U.S. Streams
A team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tanikon Research Station, Switzerland, found that some mycotoxins are common in U. S. stream waters. Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by molds (fungi) that can cause disease and even death in humans and animals. Mycotoxins can grow on a wide variety of crops.Biosolids, Animal Manure, and Earthworms: Is There a Connection?
Animal manure and biosolids, the solid byproduct of wastewater treatment, often are applied to agricultural crops to provide nutrients for plant growth and to improve the quality of soil. Earthworms studied in agricultural fields where manure and biosolids were applied have been found to contain organic chemicals from household products and manure. Earthworms continuously ingest soils and may...Emerging Contaminants Targeted in a Reconnaissance of Ground Water and Untreated Drinking-Water Sources
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Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently investigated 51 streams in nine Midwestern States to determine the presence of a wide range of herbicides, their degradation byproducts and antibiotics. Herbicides were detected in most water samples, which were collected to coincide with runoff events following herbicide application, but antibiotics were detected in only 1 percent of the... - Publications
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Cyanotoxin mixtures and taste-and-odor compounds in cyanobacterial blooms from the midwestern united states
The mixtures of toxins and taste-and-odor compounds present during cyanobacterial blooms are not well characterized and of particular concern when evaluating potential human health risks. Cyanobacterial blooms were sampled in twenty-three Midwestern United States lakes and analyzed for community composition, thirteen cyanotoxins by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and immunoassay, and two tAuthorsJennifer L. Graham, Keith A. Loftin, Michael T. Meyer, Andrew C. Ziegler - News
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