The amino acid β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is produced by cyanobacteria and has been suggested by human health researchers as a causal factor for degenerative neurological diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinsonism, and dementia. An objective review concluded that this hypothesis is not supported by existing data.
Algae and cyanobacteria naturally produce toxins such as microcystins and saxitoxins that can kill wildlife and domestic animals and cause illness or death in humans through exposure to contaminated freshwater or by the consumption of contaminated drinking water, fish, or shellfish. The lethality of algal toxins was first noted in 1878 when livestock deaths associated with watering from an Australian lake during an algae bloom were observed. The discovery, in 2014, that the City of Toledo, Ohio, water supply was contaminated by microcystins drew national attention to the potential vulnerabilities of our water resources to toxins formed in association with harmful algal and cyanobacterial blooms. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research and monitor toxic algal and cyanobacterial blooms to protect the health of humans, pets, livestock, and wildlife, and the economic vitality of recreation in lakes.
Studies during the past 40 years have postulated that exposure to BMAA is related to several severe neurological diseases. This hypothesis first emerged due to associations between dietary exposures to BMAA and high incidence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Parkinsonism Dementia Complex (ALS/PDC) in Guam. The production of BMAA in common freshwater- and ocean-dwelling cyanobacteria has led to the formation of similar hypotheses associating consumption of contaminated seafood and exposure to water during cyanobacterial blooms with globally occurring incidences of ALS, Parkinsonism, and dementia. In this study, scientists went beyond existing compilations and summaries of previous scientific literature and critically evaluated these hypotheses and associated studies. Based on this rigorous evaluation, they concluded that a causal link between these diseases and exposure to BMAA is not supported by existing data.
The results of this study are particularly useful for resource managers and researchers trying to understand the relationship between environmental exposures to biogenic compounds and diseases in humans and wildlife.
This study was supported by the USGS Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Baylor University.
See below for related science.
Toxins and Harmful Algal Blooms Science Team
Satellite Data Used to Estimate and Rank Cyanobacterial Bloom Magnitude in Florida and Ohio Lakes—Developing Tools to Protect Human and Wildlife Health from Cyanotoxin Exposure
Mixtures of Algal Toxins Present Prior to and After Formation of Visible Algal Blooms—Science to Inform the Timing of Algal Toxin Exposure
Understanding Drivers of Cyanotoxin Production in the Lake Okeechobee Waterway
Understanding Associations between Mussel Productivity and Cyanotoxins in Lake Erie
New Method Developed to Quantify Spatial Extent of Cyanobacterial Blooms
Satellite Imagery Used to Measure Algal Bloom Frequency—Steps Toward Understanding Exposure Risk
Cyanobacteria from 2016 Lake Okeechobee Harmful Algal Bloom Photo-Documented
Cyanobacterial (Blue-Green Algal) Blooms: Tastes, Odors, and Toxins
- Overview
The amino acid β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is produced by cyanobacteria and has been suggested by human health researchers as a causal factor for degenerative neurological diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinsonism, and dementia. An objective review concluded that this hypothesis is not supported by existing data.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Algal bloom in Lake Okeechobee, Florida 2016 Algae and cyanobacteria naturally produce toxins such as microcystins and saxitoxins that can kill wildlife and domestic animals and cause illness or death in humans through exposure to contaminated freshwater or by the consumption of contaminated drinking water, fish, or shellfish. The lethality of algal toxins was first noted in 1878 when livestock deaths associated with watering from an Australian lake during an algae bloom were observed. The discovery, in 2014, that the City of Toledo, Ohio, water supply was contaminated by microcystins drew national attention to the potential vulnerabilities of our water resources to toxins formed in association with harmful algal and cyanobacterial blooms. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research and monitor toxic algal and cyanobacterial blooms to protect the health of humans, pets, livestock, and wildlife, and the economic vitality of recreation in lakes.
Studies during the past 40 years have postulated that exposure to BMAA is related to several severe neurological diseases. This hypothesis first emerged due to associations between dietary exposures to BMAA and high incidence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Parkinsonism Dementia Complex (ALS/PDC) in Guam. The production of BMAA in common freshwater- and ocean-dwelling cyanobacteria has led to the formation of similar hypotheses associating consumption of contaminated seafood and exposure to water during cyanobacterial blooms with globally occurring incidences of ALS, Parkinsonism, and dementia. In this study, scientists went beyond existing compilations and summaries of previous scientific literature and critically evaluated these hypotheses and associated studies. Based on this rigorous evaluation, they concluded that a causal link between these diseases and exposure to BMAA is not supported by existing data.
The results of this study are particularly useful for resource managers and researchers trying to understand the relationship between environmental exposures to biogenic compounds and diseases in humans and wildlife.
This study was supported by the USGS Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Baylor University.
- Science
See below for related science.
Toxins and Harmful Algal Blooms Science Team
The team develops advanced methods to study factors driving algal toxin production, how and where wildlife or humans are exposed to toxins, and ecotoxicology. That information is used to develop decision tools to understand if toxin exposure leads to adverse health effects in order to protect human and wildlife health.Satellite Data Used to Estimate and Rank Cyanobacterial Bloom Magnitude in Florida and Ohio Lakes—Developing Tools to Protect Human and Wildlife Health from Cyanotoxin Exposure
Cyanobacterial bloom magnitude during 2003–11 was quantified and ranked in Florida and Ohio lakes with a newly developed modelling tool that allows for the use of multiple satellite data sources and user-defined thresholds. This tool was designed to identify the magnitude of algal blooms, but one metric alone cannot adequately represent the severity of a bloom of interest in terms of toxicity. The...Mixtures of Algal Toxins Present Prior to and After Formation of Visible Algal Blooms—Science to Inform the Timing of Algal Toxin Exposure
Cyanobacteria with toxin-producing potential, genes indicating an ability for toxin synthesis, or cyanotoxins were present before and after formation of a visible algal bloom in Kabetogama Lake, a popular recreation area in Voyageurs National Park that lies along the border of Minnesota and Canada. The temporal patterns observed in this study indicate that sampling only when there is a visible...Understanding Drivers of Cyanotoxin Production in the Lake Okeechobee Waterway
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other researchers combined field and laboratory approaches in two studies to understand the factors that drive cyanobacterial bloom development and associated cyanotoxin production in Lake Okeechobee, the St. Lucie River and Estuary, and the Indian River Lagoon in response to the large-scale Lake Okeechobee cyanobacteria bloom in 2016.Understanding Associations between Mussel Productivity and Cyanotoxins in Lake Erie
Study findings indicate that cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins were not associated with mussel mortality at the concentrations present in Lake Erie during a recent study (2013-15), but mussel growth was lower at sites with greater microcystin concentrations.New Method Developed to Quantify Spatial Extent of Cyanobacterial Blooms
This study provides a method for quantifying changes in the spatial extent of cyanobacterial blooms at local and regional scales using remotely sensed data to determine if bloom occurrence and size are increasing or decreasing for inland water resources.Satellite Imagery Used to Measure Algal Bloom Frequency—Steps Toward Understanding Exposure Risk
Study explores the utility and limitations of currently available remotely sensed satellite data for identifying the frequency of algal blooms in the Nation's lakes and reservoirs. This information provides a first step toward the goal of understanding exposure risk to protect the health of humans, pets, livestock, and wildlife.Cyanobacteria from 2016 Lake Okeechobee Harmful Algal Bloom Photo-Documented
New report provides photographic documentation and identification of the cyanobacteria present in Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee River, and St. Lucie Canal during an extensive algal bloom in 2016.Cyanobacterial (Blue-Green Algal) Blooms: Tastes, Odors, and Toxins
Freshwater and marine harmful algal blooms (HABs) can occur anytime water use is impaired due to excessive accumulations of algae. In freshwater, the majority of HABs are caused by cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae). Cyanobacteria cause a multitude of water-quality concerns, including the potential to produce taste-and-odor causing compounds and toxins that are potent enough to poison... - News