Potential drinking water contaminants, Cyanobacterial toxins are the naturally produced poisons stored in the cells of certain species of cyanobacteria or blue-green algae that occur in nutrient-rich waters. People may be exposed to cyanobacterial toxins by drinking or bathing in contaminated water.
These toxins fall into various categories. Some are known to attack the liver (hepatotoxins) or the nervous system (neurotoxins); others irritate the skin (lipopolysaccharides). These toxins are usually released into water when the cells rupture or die. Very few cyanobacterial toxins have been isolated and characterized to date. Better methods of detection are being developed to help us learn more about them and find out which toxins are a problem at what concentrations.
