Not sure which toxin to test for? Start with the Rapid Bloom ID & Cell Count. Twenty-four hours and one sample identifies the organisms in your bloom, which tells you which toxin is plausible. Reach for a targeted toxin test once you know what you are dealing with — or when you already do.

The fastest-acting cyanotoxin, and the one most often implicated in sudden animal deaths. Anatoxin-a is a neurotoxin that can kill a dog within an hour of exposure, which is why it was once called Very Fast Death Factor.

Anatoxin degrades quickly in sunlight and moving water, so timing matters more here than with any other toxin in the Toolbox. A sample taken two days after an incident may come back clean from water that was lethal at the time. If something has happened, sample immediately — ahead of the Rapid Bloom ID if you have to choose.

Screening is by ELISA, the method behind most state recreational advisory programmes. Sensitive, fast, and appropriate for a swim-or-no-swim decision. It is not congener-specific — it reports a total, not a breakdown. Ask the Boathouse about LC-MS/MS confirmation if you need congener detail or a regulatory-grade result.

Because anatoxin degrades and because ELISA methods for it are less established than for microcystin, we recommend LC-MS/MS confirmation when the result will be used in an incident investigation. EPA Method 545 is the reference method. Ask the Boathouse.

Cyanobacteria produce more toxins than these three. Cylindrospermopsin, nodularin, guanitoxin, lyngbyatoxin, BMAA and others can all appear in fresh water. If you need a toxin not listed in the Toolbox, contact Lake Pulse and we will arrange it.