What effects can Cylindrospermopsis have on human and animal health?
No human deaths from blue-green algae, including Cylindrospermopsis, have been reported in the United States. People exposed to blue-green algal blooms by swimming in affected lakes or rivers have experienced skin irritations, allergic reactions, gastrointestinal symptoms, and respiratory problems. Nausea, vomiting, and liver damage have been implicated after consumption of the blue-green toxin cylindrospermopsin in finished drinking water in Australia. Liver failure occurred in people in Brazil following an incident during which growth of a different blue-green algae (Microcystis sp.) produced toxins in water used for intravenous kidney dialysis. Most of the knowledge about the toxicity of these compounds, including dose-response interactions, comes from animal experiments. Because human toxicity from direct algal exposure has rarely been documented, there are no dose-response data or even experimental data in humans. Several standard methods of treating drinking water are thought to
