EPA Method 545: Determination of Cylindrospermopsin and Anatoxin-a in Drinking Water by Aqueous Direct Injection and LC/MS/MS

This application note describes a direct aqueous injection and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (DAI-LC/MS/MS) method for the determination of cylindrospermopsin (hepatotoxin) and anatoxin-a (neurotoxin) in drinking water under EPA Method 545. These two target analytes are also included in the UCMR4 screening compound list that will be monitored by public drinking water systems soon. Cyanotoxins are toxins that are produced by some species of photosynthetic cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae) blooming under certain conditions, such as stagnant or slow moving warm water with high-level nutrients like phosphates and nitrogen.