Abstract
Nowadays, the eutrophication of surface water results in a massive increase in algal and cyanobacterial growth associated with the occurrence of water blooms. Due to the decomposition of the biomass, the concentrations of algal organic matter (AOM) including cyanobacterial toxins also increase in water reservoirs which are frequently used as a source of drinking water.
The main problem arises during the drinking water treatment processes because the majority of dissolved organic compounds serve as precursors for the formation of potentially toxic disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water. The mentioned compounds (e.g. cyanotoxins, DBPs) are currently considered to be a threat to drinking water quality due to their adverse effect on human health.
A method employing liquid chromatography with tandem mass detection (LC-MS/MS) has been developed and optimized for the determination of selected types of cyanobacterial toxins such as microcystins (MCs), anatoxin, cylindrospermopsin, nodularin.