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Relationship Between Cyanobacterial Biomass and Total Microcystin-LR Levels in Drinking and Recreational Water

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Abstract

Cyanobacterial biomass, chlorophyll-a, and microcystin-LR levels were monitored in drinking and recreational water in Seoul, South Korea and three satellite cities from Oct 2006 to Aug 2007. Total microcystin-LR was the sum of particulate and dissolved microcystin. Except during cold periods, toxic cyanobacteria, including Anabaena flos-aquae, were found at all sites. The total microcystin-LR levels were below guideline danger levels (<1.0 μg/L) except one time (1.27 μg/L in October), whereas chl-a (111.7 μg/L) and cell levels (2.6 × 105 cells/mL) were at ‘vigilance’ and ‘alert’ levels for drinking water and at ‘guidance’ level for recreational water, respectively. Discrepancies in these parameters may thus lead to frequent unnecessary alerts, thereby increasing water management costs.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Dr. Suh MY for performing the microcystin measurements. This work was supported by the Daejin University Research Grants in 2010.

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Correspondence to Myung-Hwan Park or Yong-Jae Kim.

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Kim, BH., Hwang, SJ., Park, MH. et al. Relationship Between Cyanobacterial Biomass and Total Microcystin-LR Levels in Drinking and Recreational Water. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 85, 457–462 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-010-0121-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-010-0121-y

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