Emergent marine toxins in the temperate north Atlantic coast

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.

The occurrence of toxins typical from tropical environments in waters from the north Atlantic coast has been sporadically reported in the past years. However, these infrequent reports have been preceded by human intoxication episodes. For this reason it became evident that the analysis of coastal water needed a more detailed survey of marine toxins. The detection of new vectors, particularly those potentially used as food by human beings, suggests that monitoring of marine toxins should be extended to species that currently are not being monitored, and that regulated limits of toxin should be closely monitored. In this work, first reports on the occurrence of tetrodotoxin (TTX) and its analogues, of Spirolides (SPX), and of ß-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) in temperate north Atlantic coast (Portugal and Morocco), are presented. This highlights the changing environment, in terms of toxin patterns, and suggests potential pathways of human exposure.