Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms: State of the Science and Research Needs

With the ever-increasing incidence of harmful cyanobacterial algal blooms, this monograph has added urgency and will be essential reading for all sorts of researchers. The volume contains the proceedings of the 2005 International Symposium on Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms, and has been edited by H. Kenneth Hudnell, of the US Environmental Protection Agency. It contains much of the most recent research into the subject, and includes six workgroup reports that identify and prioritize research needs, as well as 25 invited speaker papers that describe the state of the science. Freshwater CyanoHABs can use up the oxygen and block the sunlight that other organisms need to live. They also can produce powerful toxins that affect the brain and liver of animals and humans. Reports of poisonings associated with CyanoHABs date back to the late 1800s. Anecdotal evidence and data from laboratory animal research suggest that cyanobacterial toxins can cause a range of adverse human health effects, yet few studies have explored the links between CyanoHABs and human health. Thankfully, and partly as a result of this symposium, all that is now set to change. Written for: Neuroscience (neurotoxicology, neurochemistry), environmental sciences, cancer research, toxicology, risk management