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International Environmental Standards for the Regulation of Freshwater Cyanobacterial Blooms and Their Biotoxins

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Cyanobacterial Biotechnology in the 21st Century

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Abstract

Among the harmful algal blooms (HABs), cyanobacterial blooms (CyanoHABs) are one of the most studied and well known, as they constitute a worldwide environmental problem, with serious repercussions on human and animal health. Cyanobacteria can produce a wide variety of substances with different biological activities, many identified as potent toxins. Thus, the need to control and create regulations on this issue is crucial to ensure human health. In this article we provide a short and condensed general review of toxin concentration levels and exposure scenarios which are included in the legislation, standards, and guidelines that are in effect in different countries. Most national regulations are aimed to ensure the safety of potable water supply, and, as far as cyanotoxins are concerned, they usually include the minimum concentrations above which a health hazard is presumed. However, a very limited spectrum of toxins is considered. In addition, the global picture shows clear regional inequalities in terms of indicator variables, action levels, and existing knowledge about the affected ecosystems, the distribution of cyanobacteria, and their toxins. A general drawback lies in the fact that the regulations do not usually recommend specific measurement analytics, which hampers the intercalibration and application of standards.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Hidrobioloxía, Departamento de Zooloxía, Xenética e Antropoloxía Física, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Fernando Cobo, Sandra Barca & Rufino Vieira-Lanero

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

    M. Carmen Cobo

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  1. Fernando Cobo
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  2. Sandra Barca
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  3. Rufino Vieira-Lanero
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  4. M. Carmen Cobo
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Correspondence to Fernando Cobo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental & Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia

    Brett Neilan

  2. Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Federal University of Latin-American Integration (UNILA), Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil

    Michel Rodrigo Zambrano Passarini

  3. Department of Biotechnology, Mizoram University, Aizawl, India

    Prashant Kumar Singh

  4. Agriculture Research Organization, Volcani Centre, Israel

    Ajay Kumar

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Cobo, F., Barca, S., Vieira-Lanero, R., Cobo, M.C. (2023). International Environmental Standards for the Regulation of Freshwater Cyanobacterial Blooms and Their Biotoxins. In: Neilan, B., Passarini, M.R.Z., Singh, P.K., Kumar, A. (eds) Cyanobacterial Biotechnology in the 21st Century. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0181-4_12

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