You are here:
THE TRPV1 RECEPTOR: THE INTERAGENCY, INTERNATION SYMPOSIUM ON CYANOBACTERIAL HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS.
Citation:
HUDNELL, H. K. THE TRPV1 RECEPTOR: THE INTERAGENCY, INTERNATION SYMPOSIUM ON CYANOBACTERIAL HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS. Presented at Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, Anaheim, CA, June 04 - 08, 2006.
Description:
Background and Significance
Evidence indicates that the frequency of occurrence of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CHABs) is increasing in spatial and temporal extent in the US and worldwide. Cyanotoxins are among the most potent toxins known, causing death through neurologic, hepatic, and renal system failure at high exposure levels. Although little is known about the health risks of chronic, repeated exposure to lower levels of cyanotoxins, the available evidence indicates that chronic cyanotoxin exposure may cause neurodegenerative, carcinogenic, and multiple system effects. Yet, there are currently no standards or guidelines for cyanobacteria or their toxins in U.S. drinking water or recreational water reservoirs. Cyanobacteria and their toxins are on EPA's Contaminant Candidate List for future regulatory determinations, but the Agency's Office of Water is unable to make regulatory determinations concerning cyanobacteria at this time due to the lack of sufficient data. The Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (HABHRCA) mandated several products, including a National Research Plan for CHABs.
Objectives, Methods and Results
The first Interagency, International Symposium on Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (ISOC-HAB) was held in 2005 to help meet the needs of EPA's Office of Water and the mandates of HABHRCA. The ISOC-HAB interagency organizing committee identified six major topic areas: 1) Occurrence of Blooms & Toxins; 2) Causes, Prevention, & Mitigation; 3) Toxins, Toxicokinetics, & Toxicodynamics; 4) Exposure Assessment; 5) Health and Ecologic Effects, and; 6) Risk Assessment. Specific charges were developed for workgroups to address in each of the six topic areas, and for invited experts to address in twenty-five platform sessions on critical subtopics. International experts were identified for participation in the workgroups and platform sessions, and the scientific community was invited to present posters on novel research. Approximately 200 individuals attended ISOC-HAB, 100 invited participants and 100 members of the general public. A monograph of the proceedings is being published in the Springer series, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. The monograph is structured in four parts:
1) a synthesis document which proposes a National Research Plan on CHABS; 2) six workgroup reports that identify research priorities; 3) twenty-five invited speaker papers that describe the state-of-the-science in subtopic areas, and; 4) multiple poster abstracts that describe recent research findings. The state-of-the-science, the proposed National Research Plan and progress in implementation of the plan will be described at the 2006 CSTE Annual Conference. This is an abstract of a proposed presentation and does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.