title: The adsorption of microcystin-LR by natural clay particles.
abstract: The microcystin cyanobacterial hepatotoxins represent an increasingly severe global health hazard. Since microcystins are found world wide in drinking water reservoirs concern about the impact on human health has prompted investigations into remedial water treatment methods. This preliminary study investigates the scavenging from water of microcystin-LR by fine-grained particles known to have a high concentration of the clay minerals kaolinite and montmorillonite. The results show that more than 81% of microcystin-LR can be removed from water by clay material. Thus, microcystin-LR is indeed scavenged from water bodies by fine-grained particles and that this property may offer an effective method of stripping these toxins from drinking water supplies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Morri
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Luu
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Calvert
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000538:Aluminum Silicates; D000077215:Clay; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D006801:Humans; D008387:Marine Toxins / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D052998:Microcystins; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000538:Aluminum Silicates; D008387:Marine Toxins; D052998:Microcystins; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D014873:Water Pollutants; C057862:cyanoginosin LR; D000077215:Clay