AWWA WQTC58783

With the objective in mind of developing a standardized analytical method for the detection and quantitation of cyanobacterial toxins, there are two key factors to consider: the toxins comprise a large class of compounds; and, there are very few analytical standards available for evaluation. With these considerations in mind, the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW) Technical Support Center in Cincinnati, Ohio hosted an Algal Toxin Workshop in the Spring of 2001. Experts in the field of cyanobacterial research attended and provided advice on the toxins that should be the focus of method development efforts. EPA subsequently chose to concentrate efforts on four microcystin congeners (-LR, -LA, -YR, and -RR), cylindrospermopsin, and anatoxin-a was reached. Only four of the six cyanotoxins (microcystins -LR, -YR, and - RR, and anatoxin-a) are available commercially. EPA obtained the remaining cyanotoxins under contract from two groups: Microcystin-LA was purified from an Australian bloom by Dr. Glen Shaw's group in Australia, and cylindrospermopsin was purified from cultures prepared in the laboratory of Dr. Wayne Carmichael at Wright State University in Ohio. Two additional microcystins, -LW and -LF, that were not on the original method development priority list were added because standards of acceptable purity became commercially available. Initial method development work was directed towards producing a single standardized method for all of the cyanotoxins. However, stability data reported in the literature combined with preliminary experimental separations and an examination of the structures of the cyanotoxins indicated that separate analytical methods would be required. These methods are discussed in the paper. Includes 15 references, figures.