title: Geosmin occurrence in riverine cyanobacterial mats: is it causing a significant health hazard?
abstract: Toxicity endpoints (nonspecific cytotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and mutagenicity) were studied in cyanobacterial mats obtained from a shallow river. Some of the cyanobacterial mats tested were known to be non-geosmin producers, while others were geosmin-producers. No microcystin-like compounds were detected by HPLC in any of the biofilm samples. The mutagenicity and neurotoxicity of biofilm metabolites was negligible, and generally weak adverse effects of biofilm extracts detected in a battery of in-vitro assays indicated relatively low human health risks associated with biofilm toxicity. While the toxicity responses detected in the studied biofilms were weak, effects were not related to production of geosmin. It was therefore concluded that the production of this metabolite cannot be taken as an indication per se of the existence of a health hazard.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 3, 621 32 Brno, Czech Republic. ludek.blaha@recetox.muni.cz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bláha
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sabater
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Babica
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vilalta
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marsálek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018441:Biofilms; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D009284:Naphthols / Q000633:toxicity*; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000473:pathology; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D018570:Risk Assessment; D045483:Rivers; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D009284:Naphthols; C001278:geosmin