You are here:
One Health and the Environment: Toxic Cyanobacteria, a Case Study
Citation:
Hilborn, E. One Health and the Environment: Toxic Cyanobacteria, a Case Study. One Health Training Program, Durham, NC, May 14 - June 07, 2015.
Impact/Purpose:
One Health is a discipline that recognizes the shared susceptibility of humans and animals that share an environment to also share disease. Although the discipline was based upon zoonotic infections, it can also be applied to environmental hazards. Here, we highlight how toxic cyanobacteria is an example of an environmental contaminant that sickens humans and animals. Cyanobacteria can produce toxins, with priority cyanotoxin representatives listed on the drinking water contaminant candidate list.
Description:
The study of environmental health typically focuses on human populations. However, companion animals, livestock and wildlife also experience adverse health effects from environmental pollutants. Animals may experience direct exposure to pollutants in ambient exposure situations. Human exposure is modified as drinking water, food and sometimes air designated for human use receives treatment and/or quality control procedures. As most animal exposures are not reduced via these methods, animals may act as sentinels of health risks due to higher exposures, species-specific susceptibilities and shorter lifespans. Examples of One Health environmental issues include toxic exposures to pesticides, lead, mercury, and biotoxins. We will provide an overview of some environmental health issues applicable to the practice of One Health with a special emphasis on harmful algal blooms associated with the occurrence of cyanobacteria and their toxins in freshwater. We will characterize cyanobacteria and their toxins and discuss the effect of anthropogenic activities on their occurrence. Finally, we will describe outbreaks of illness associated with harmful algal blooms in recreational lakes that affected humans and animals during 2009 – 2010 in the United States. This is an abstract of a proposed presentation and does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.