Risks to Recreational Water Users from Microcystis spp. and Microcystins in Portishead Lake (SW England) as Determined by LC-MS/MS and Citizen Science Monitoring.
5 affiliations
- 1Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Barrack Road, The Nothe, Weymouth DT4 8UB, Dorset, UK.
- 2Portishead Sampling Team, Sage Close, Portishead BS20 8ET, North Somerset, UK.
- 3School of Applied Sciences, University of West of England, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK.
- 4Centre for Conservation Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Poole BH12 5BB, Dorset, UK.
- 5Environment Agency, Horizon House, Deanery Rd, Bristol BS1 5AH, UK.
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are microorganisms that can produce natural toxins with significant impacts on human, animal and ecosystem health. Portishead Marine Lake is a small freshwater lake in southwest England frequented by thousands of people each year for recreational activities but was associated periodically with prolific cyanobacterial blooms with potential risk to visitor health. Water samples were tested weekly between January and December 2016 for cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins. Citizen scientists undertook testing for nutrients, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature and meteorological parameters. Four major blooms of Microcystis spp. were observed in the warmer months between May and September and were associated with high concentrations of microcystins. Complex toxin congener profiles were dominated by MC-LR and MC-RR, with lower contributions from MC-WR and MC-YR. Cyanobacterial cell densities and summed microcystin concentrations ranged from 1600 to 5.6 × 10⁶ cells/mL and 0.1 to 18,069 µg/L, respectively, and correlated significantly. Toxin concentrations were positively correlated with nitrate levels and inversely correlated with pH, although mean pH levels did not fall below 7.0. There was little statistical evidence for influence of weather conditions overall, although significant intra-lake differences in cell densities and toxin concentrations were noted. Intervention measures employed by local authorities included the use of barley straw, hydrological manipulation, debris removal and ultrasound treatment. Whilst no statistical assessment of intervention effectiveness was possible without effective control samples, there was some limited evidence for the temporary reduction in toxin levels after hydrological intervention, but none following installation of ultrasound. Overall, the study utilized LC-MS/MS and microscopy to quantify microcystins and Microcystis spp., respectively, and evidenced risks to lake visitors and the importance of toxin testing in recreational waters and the use of appropriate risk mitigation approaches. Further work incorporating appropriate experimental controls would be needed to determine the effectiveness of hazard mitigation measures for reducing or eliminating human health threats.
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BibTeX
@article{turner2026risks,
title = {{Risks to Recreational Water Users from Microcystis spp. and Microcystins in Portishead Lake (SW England) as Determined by LC-MS/MS and Citizen Science Monitoring.}},
author = {Andrew D Turner and Karl J Dean and Monika Dhanji-Rapkova and Alison O'Neill and Benjamin H Maskrey and Patrycja Stubbs and David M Hartnell and Shamina Page and Naomi Baker and Nadine Morrell and John M Turner and Joan Turner and Florence R I Turner and Stephen D Gregory and Adam M Lewis and Katy Lewis},
journal = {Toxins},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/toxins18100442},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931533},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Risks to Recreational Water Users from Microcystis spp. and Microcystins in Portishead Lake (SW England) as Determined by LC-MS/MS and Citizen Science Monitoring.
AU - Andrew D Turner
AU - Karl J Dean
AU - Monika Dhanji-Rapkova
AU - Alison O'Neill
AU - Benjamin H Maskrey
AU - Patrycja Stubbs
AU - David M Hartnell
AU - Shamina Page
AU - Naomi Baker
AU - Nadine Morrell
AU - John M Turner
AU - Joan Turner
AU - Florence R I Turner
AU - Stephen D Gregory
AU - Adam M Lewis
AU - Katy Lewis
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Toxins
DO - 10.3390/toxins18100442
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931533
AB - Cyanobacteria are microorganisms that can produce natural toxins with significant impacts on human, animal and ecosystem health. Portishead Marine Lake is a small freshwater lake in southwest England frequented by thousands of people each year for recreational activities but was associated periodically with prolific cyanobacterial blooms with potential risk to visitor health. Water samples were tested weekly between January and December 2016 for cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins. Citizen scientists undertook testing for nutrients, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature and meteorological parameters. Four major blooms of Microcystis spp. were observed in the warmer months between May and September and were associated with high concentrations of microcystins. Complex toxin congener profiles were dominated by MC-LR and MC-RR, with lower contributions from MC-WR and MC-YR. Cyanobacterial cell densities and summed microcystin concentrations ranged from 1600 to 5.6 × 10⁶ cells/mL and 0.1 to 18,069 µg/L, respectively, and correlated significantly. Toxin concentrations were positively correlated with nitrate levels and inversely correlated with pH, although mean pH levels did not fall below 7.0. There was little statistical evidence for influence of weather conditions overall, although significant intra-lake differences in cell densities and toxin concentrations were noted. Intervention measures employed by local authorities included the use of barley straw, hydrological manipulation, debris removal and ultrasound treatment. Whilst no statistical assessment of intervention effectiveness was possible without effective control samples, there was some limited evidence for the temporary reduction in toxin levels after hydrological intervention, but none following installation of ultrasound. Overall, the study utilized LC-MS/MS and microscopy to quantify microcystins and Microcystis spp., respectively, and evidenced risks to lake visitors and the importance of toxin testing in recreational waters and the use of appropriate risk mitigation approaches. Further work incorporating appropriate experimental controls would be needed to determine the effectiveness of hazard mitigation measures for reducing or eliminating human health threats.
SN - 2072-6651
ER -