A F A BENEFITS

AFA BENEFITS 64 NUTRIENTS.. PDF FILE [wait for 2 mins 4 loading]

STEMTECH PRODUCTS ARE MOSTLY CONTAINS  A F A CONCENTRATES..

A F A CONTAINS FOLLOWING 64 NUTRIENTS.

Nutrients			Benefits (in brief)
VITAMINS
Beta carotene (Vitamin A)			Immune system booster. Defend against free radical attack. Aids digestion. Enhances vision. Protects cornea.
Thiamine (Vitamin B1)			Increases energy, improves mental attitude and relieves tension.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)			Boosts physical energy, defend from free radical attacks, and reduces eye fatigue.
Niacin (Vitamin B3)			Stress reducer. Lowers plaque in heart arteries.
Pantohenic Acid (Vitamin B5)			Reduces joint pain, reduces toxicity from alcohol, defend against free radicals activities.
Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)			Immune system booster.
Cobalimin (Vitamin B12)			Increases physical energy, enhances mental focus, assists nervous system repair.
Vitamin C			Promotes healthier gums, reduces risk of tumor growth , reduces duration of common seasonal virus infection and for beautiful skin
Vitamin E			Immune system booster and promotes healthy nerve tissue.
Vitamin K			Prevents excessive bleeding. Helps in coagulation and anticoagulation of proteins.
Biotin			Promotes healthier-looking hair.
Folic Acid			Increases mental focus. Prevents anemia.
MINERALS
Boron			Promotes stronger bones, improves mental clarity, and assists with unclogging arteries.
Calcium			Promotes stronger bones. Calms nerves, improves plaque levels.
Chloride
Chromium			Moderates existent diabetes. Prevents adult-onset diabetes.
Cobalt			Repairs nerve cells. Helps produce red blood cells.
Copper			Eases joint pain. Helps produce red blood cells.
Fluoride			Fights tooth decay, improves bone density.
Germanium			Helps control viruses.
Iodine			Assists with maintenance and regulation of body weight.
Iron			Alleviates anemia. Promotes emotional health. Increase physical energy.
Magnesium			Promotes tranquility, Moderates mood swings, and Reduces migraine headaches, necessary for absorption of Calcium.
Manganese			Assists joint mobility.
Molybdenum			Increases longevity.
Nickel			Promotes cellular growth and reproduction.
Phosphorous			Promotes healthy teeth, enhances bone fracture repair.
Potassium			Hypertension reducer and blood pressure control.
Selenium			Strengthens immune system and relieves anxiety.
Silicon			Skin tightening.
Vanadium			Assists in controlling blood sugar levels.
Zinc			Supports prostate health, strengthens immune system, reduces outbreak of acne, improves memory, and reduces common seasonal virus symptoms.
ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS
Arginine			Muscle builder, supports immune system. Detoxifies the liver--precursor to nitric oxide. It stimulates white blood cells to fight infection and inhibit tumor growth and size. Increase sperm production.
Histidine			Enhances nutrient absorption. Removes toxic metals. Vital nutrient in the formation of L-Carnosine for anti-aging.
Isoleucine			Build muscle (restore lost muscle mass). Helps repair the liver.
Leucine			Reduces Hypoglycemic symptoms and stabilize blood sugar.
Lysine			Helps prevent bone thinning by aiding intestinal absorption of calcium.
Methionine			Enhances memory. Mood elevator. Removes heavy metals.
Phenylalanine			Improves mental clarity and reduces sugar cravings.
Theonine			Immune system enhancer and improves skin tone.
Tryptophan			Used in biosynthesis of Vitamin B3. Precursor to neurotransmitter serotonin.
Valine			Promotes muscle tissue building.
NON-ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS
Asparagine			Immune system booster, brain energizer.
Alanine			Used in protein synthesis --Activates muscles, immune system booster.. Vital nutrient in formation of L-Carnosine for anti-aging.
Glutamine			Increases mental focus.
Cystine			Detoxifies carcinogens. Vital nutrient in formation of Glutathione.
Aspartic Acid			Assists in making healthy DNA. Immune system booster.
Glycine			Calms nervous system.
Proline			Increases learning ability and assists in repairing torn cartilage
Serine			Enhances skin beauty.
Tyrosine			Improves emotional health, enhances mental alertness and improves memory.
Glutamic Acid			Reduces alcohol/sugar craving
OTHER NUTRIENTS
Chlorophyll			Chlorophyll and hemoglobin molecule is very similar. It helps to oxygenate the blood. Promotes bowel regularity. Cleanses interstitial tissues. CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT (per 10 grams) AFA Algae 300 mg Spirulina 115 mg Chlorella 280 mg Barley Grass 149 mg Wheat Grass 55mg
Omega-3 Fatty Acids			Increases cell membrane flexibility, plaque dissolving properties. Reduces cardiovascular diseases.
Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) Omega-6			Lowers plaque. Relieves arthritic symptoms, skin tone improvement, reduces cardiovascular disease.
ANTI-OXIDANTS
Bioflavinoids	Immune system booster. Removes toxins from skin cells
Superoxide Dismutase (SOD)	Assists in preventing free radical activity. Prevent hardening of cell membranes, thus keeping our skin from aging too quickly.
Electrolytes	Helps kidneys regain optimum function.
Fiber	Eliminates toxic wastes.
Cell Adhesion Molecules (CAM) – type of protein
L-selectin ligand	Initiates the release of stem cells--CD-34 cells--from bone marrow.
Neurochemical
Phenylethalamine (PEA)	Increases mental focus and also known as "the molecule of joy" to calm the brain.
Polysaccharide
Migratose	Stimulates the stem cell migration.

Edible Microalgae Comparison Chart

 Yes / Positive effect          Yes / Positive Effect but with limitations          No Effect / No Data

	Algal Production	Organic Certification	Nervous System
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA)	AFA grows naturally in Klamath Lake, Oregon and is harvested wild. Most of the waters flowing into Klamath Lake come from natural springs. Before entering the lake this water travels through volcanic soil, providing a wide variety of minerals and nutrients.	Certified organic to USDA NOP standards.	AFA has recently been shown to be an exceptional source of phenylethylamine (PEA). Dietary intake of PEA supports focus, mental energy and mood.
Spirulina	Spirulina is grown in man-made ponds and its nutritional profile may be limited by the nutrients artificially added to the growing media.	Certified organic when grown with animal manure.	Spirulina does not contain PEA and is not known to have an effect on the nervous system.
Chlorella	Chlorella is grown in man-made ponds and its nutritional profile may be limited by the nutrients artificially added to the growing media	Certified organic when grown with animal manure.	Chlorella does not contain PEA and is not known to have an effect on the nervous system.

	Lipid Profile	Protection from immune cell free radicals	Mobilization of immune cells
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA)	In a Harvard University study, AFA has been shown to be a significant source of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.	The immune system is one of the main contributors to oxidation in the body. AFA has been shown to reduce the background production of free radicals by polymorph nucleated cells.	Consumption of 1.5 g of AFA daily has been shown to stimulate the mobilization of lymphocytes B and T from lymphoid tissues and to increase the number of lymphocytes and stimulate the migration of NK cells from the blood to the tissues.
Spirulina	Spirulina contains little Omega-3 fatty acids, though it is a good source of Omega-6 fatty acids.	No data is available.	Spirulina has not been shown to have any effect on lymphocyte mobilization. When tested, Spirulina did not show any effect on NK cell migration.
Chlorella	Chlorella contains only a small quantity of polyunsaturated fatty acids.	No data is available.	Chlorella has not been shown to have any effect on lymphocyte mobilization. When tested, Chlorella did not show any effect on NK cell migration.

	Stimulation of macrophage activity	Phycocyanin	Stem cell growth and protection
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA)	AFA contains a unique polysaccharide that has been shown to stimulate macrophage activity.	AFA contains a significant amount of phycocyanin, which has been shown to be a potent specific COX-2 inhibitor.	A proprietary AFA extract has been shown to increase the growth of adult stem cells, protect stem cells from oxidative stress and stroke damage.
Spirulina	Spirulina contains a unique polysaccharide that has been shown to stimulate macrophage activity, though the potency is roughly one-quarter that of AFA.	Spirulina contains a significant amount of phycocyanin, which has been shown to be a potent specific COX-2 inhibitor.	No data available.
Chlorella	Chlorella contains a unique polysaccharide that has been shown to stimulate macrophage activity, though the potency is one-half that of AFA.	Chlorella contains no phycocyanin and has no specific effect on inflammation.	No data available.

The Whole Story About Microcystin and AFA

Much has been said and written about microcystin as a possible contaminant of the cyanophyta Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA). Everything seen on the media and read on the Internet spurred from an event that took place in the summer of 1996, in which I was one of the main protagonists. At the time, the magnitude of the misinformation was such that we elected not to respond, thinking that such misinformation could not last. I can tell now that it was ill-advised, and I decided to tell the whole story.

AFA has been on the marketplace as an exceptional dietary supplement for more than two decades. During this time, not one incident remotely linked to microcystin has been reported or to any other toxin as a matter of fact. But the media has established another perceived reality for AFA, under a unique set of circumstances.

In 1996, I was Director of Research and Development of a marketing company centered around the sale of AFA. Soon after my arrival in 1995, I implemented a testing procedure for a then little-known toxin with the collaboration of Dr. Wayne Carmichael of Wright State University. The toxin was microcystin, which is produced by a type of blue-green algae called Microcystis. Since Microcystis is seen at times in Klamath Lake during some parts of the summer and since a new assay had been developed to measure microcystin, we decided to add this testing to our quality control program. In order to have records as complete as possible we tested samples backing as far as 1992. As expected, microcystin was present in small amounts that presented no health concern.

However, in the summer of 1996 we observed a bloom of Microcystis that was somewhat larger than the previous years. After much discussion with several experts we elected to be pro-active with the situation and to trigger an education campaign. Similar to the story with aflatoxin in peanuts and corn, we decided to educate the local authorities and to work toward the development of safe limits to ensure quality and safety. We invited officials at the Oregon Health Division (OHD) to visit our facilities and to tell them about microcystin and our Quality Control program. It was the first time they were hearing about microcystin. We showed them the test, the inventory of product on hold, caught by an efficient Quality control program; we showed them everything.

We thought we had done our duty and acted responsibly; we were expecting a response from OHD that would honor the approach we had taken. To our surprise, soon after the officials at OHD published an article mentioning that microcystin was a dangerous toxin, that more than 60 people had died in Brazil from microcystin toxicity. What they failed to mention was that this incident was linked to intravenous exposure through dialysis to about 25 gallons of water contaminated with microcystin. There is a world of difference between intravenous and oral exposures. Just think bout having a teaspoon of peanut butter injected in your vein

In the same article they mentioned that product containing as much as 20 ppm of microcystin had been harvested, though they failed to mention that this product had been caught by an effective Quality Control program and never reached any consumer. We were appalled. The moment we tried to defend our position we became the unconscionable corporate entity trying to make money by intoxicating people. Nothing could have been further from the truth. While a safe limit of 20 ppb had been established for aflatoxin, levels as high as 300 ppb have been tolerated at times, like in 1988, when a drought threatened farmers in the Midwest. Salmonella is present in about 0.02% of the eggs consumed by American, which amounts to a few thousand real exposures everyday. Contamination of ground beef by E. coli is responsible for an estimated 20,000 hospitalization and nearly 500 deaths every year. While all of these are tolerated, OHD triggered an unprecedented misleading bad press for a product that had no history of ill effect.

Officials at OHD went as far as publishing an appalling paper in the scientific literature reporting that in spite of a ruling limiting the amount of microcystin in AFA at 1 ppm, 85 of the 87 samples taken from the marketplace contained a level of microcystin superior to 1 ppm. As with their previous releases, they failed to mention an important piece of information. The ruling was passed on October 17, 1997. Between the summer of 1996 and the date of the ruling, the industry had adopted the safe limit proposed by two prominent scientists, Dr. Wayne Carmichael, expert in toxic cyanobacteria at Wright State University, and Dr. Gary Flamm, former Head Toxicologist at the FDA in Washington, who both proposed a safe level of 5 ppm. These testimonials are on records at the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). The samples tested by OHD were taken from the marketplace in the months following the ruling of 1 ppm. However, all the samples came from product released on the marketplace prior to the ruling, respecting the interim level of 5 ppm proposed by the experts. So while the industry was playing by the rules and respecting experts opinion, OHD once again acted deceptively concluding that the industry ignored the ruling. The situation was like one day changing the speed limit on a street and then accusing someone of having driven too fast the day before. The intent to deceive was obvious for those knowing the situation in details.

Supported by experts we proposed to have a moratorium at 5 ppm for 2 years while we would pay for studies showing the safety of low levels of microcystin in AFA. The study that OHD relied upon for their safety assessment consisted of mice gavaged daily with pure toxin dissolved in water. The very process of gavaging a mouse leads to significant liver injury. In that study, at times control groups showed greater toxicity than the group receiving the highest level of toxin. The study was obviously flawed. Beside, using pure toxin was inappropriate. For example, AFA contains significant levels of silymarin, a bioflavanoid known to provided 100% protection against microcystin. To establish the safety of microcystin as a contaminant of AFA, we have to test microcystin in AFA. OHD refused any suggestion.

Later on, someone close to the one person leading this whole vendetta at OHD, Duncan Gilroy, told me that no reasonable argument could change OHD's position because Duncan Gilroy did not like blue-green algae and had the clear intention of bringing down this industry. Even after the ruling of 1 ppm, Gilroy kept telling consumer that no level of microcystin was safe and people should avoid consuming from blue-green algae. In any industry if a product is below the level considered safe, the product is deemed pure and safe for consumption, like corn and peanuts with aflatoxin, and beef with E. coli.

The facts

The blue-green algae harvested from Klamath lake and currently sold on the market is more than 99% Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. This blue-green alga from Klamath Lake is absolutely non-toxic, as demonstrated by many years of extensive testing. During a few weeks in the summer, Microsystis, a co-occurring blue-green alga capable of producing the toxin microcystin, is found as a minor constituent of the Klamath Lake phytoplankton community. This phenomenon is not recent and Microcystis has always been present in very small amounts in Klamath Lake. Despite its presence, Microsystis is not a problem, since Desert Lake Technologies (DLT) has developed a method to separate this alga from Aphanizomenon flos-aquae.

In 1995, Dr. Wayne Carmichael from Wright State University and Dr. Don Anderson from Woodshole Oceanographic Institute became consultants for a member of the Klamath Lake Algae industry, on the specific issue of algal toxicity. During the summer of 1996 a substantial bloom of Microcystis was unexpectedly observed that started in early July and continued into the third week of September. In collaboration with Dr. Jake Kann, Dr. Wayne Carmichael and Dr. Don Anderson, the situation was brought to the publics attention, because of the industrys commitment to public safety and public education, which led to the Oregon Health Division's awareness of the situation.

Because of the existence of only a few proposed guidelines based on single studies and the uncertainties surrounding these studies, an unrestricted grant was given to the University of Illinois for the completion of a comprehensive risk assessment, reviewing more than 300 scientific articles, aimed at accurately evaluating the risk associated with microcystin as a possible contaminant of blue-green algae products. This risk assessment determined that 10 g/g was considered a safe level. A similar safe level (5 g/g) was later confirmed by a risk assessment performed by Dr. Gary Flamm, former head toxicologist at the FDA in Washington, DC. This safe level of 5 g/g was also supported by Dr. Wayne Carmichael in a written testimonial.

Despite the written opinions of many experts and the significant amount of data indicating that levels of 5 g/g and even 10 g/g were safe for human consumption, even children, the Oregon Department of Agriculture decided to pass a regulation establishing 1 g/g as the maximum acceptable concentration (MAC). The actual safe level determined by animal studies was between 2,500 and 6,000 g of microcystin per day. To add a margin of safety, this safe level was further divided by a factor of 1,000. The adopted safe level of 1 g/g is therefore 1,000 times lower than level established as safe in animal studies, ensuring complete safety for children. Microcystin is indeed a liver toxin, however, it is completely safe at the levels currently found in blue-green algae products. Liver damage only occurs at levels that exceeds 10,000 times the adopted safe level of 1 g/g. One would have to eat more than 5,000 capsules per day to reach such levels.

The industry nonetheless welcomed the regulation and went immediately into compliance. During the entire process and after the adoption of the regulation the relationship between ODA and the blue-green algae industry has been one of collaboration.

One of the unresolved elements of this regulatory process was the development of a validated assay to quantify microcystin. It was believed that such an assay could be developed in the year following the adoption of the regulation. However, collaboration between ODA and FDA in Washington State, as well as with independent universities and institutions, has failed to produce a validated test for the precise measurement of microcystin at low levels. Nevertheless, the tests currently utilized that have been developed and refined over the past 5 years, an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a protein phosphatase inhibition assay (PPIA), are precise enough to monitor compliance, even though levels found in a same sample analyzed on different occasions, or by different laboratories, can at times show significant variations.

In conclusion, the blue-green algae industry has been extremely pro-active with the problem of the presence of Microcystis in Klamath Lake. Members of the Klamath Lake Algae industry have worked with the Oregon Department of Agriculture to raise the regulated level to 5 g/g. However, DLTs position has been to fully integrate the regulatory level of 1 g/g, and to develop ways to reduce microcystin content. As stated before, DLT has developed and implemented a method to separate Microcystis for Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. Lots of AFA harvested since 2000 all tested at less than 1 g/g.

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Aphanizomenon flos-aquae
Review Of The Literature Regarding Neurotoxicity

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (Aph. flos-aquae) is a filamentous blue-green algal species harvested each summer from Upper Klamath Lake in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Aph. flos-aquae has been sold as a nutritional food supplement for nearly 20 years. It is known to be rich in certain vitamins (B12, carotenoids, K) and in trace minerals. The nutritional benefits of Aph. flos-aquae have been appreciated by over a million consumers, many of whom reported increased energy levels, heightened mental clarity, improved memory and recall, and an overall feeling of well-being.

Aph. flos-aquae from Upper Klamath Lake

To appreciate Aph. flos-aquae from Klamath Lake, it is important to consider the unique ecosystem in which this alga "blooms." Upper Klamath Lake, which covers approximately 325 km2, has the greatest surface area of any natural water body in Oregon (Gearheart et al. 1995). Numerous springs charged with water filtered through miles of nutrient-rich volcanic soils on the flanks of the Cascade mountains (Gearheart et al. 1995), and six major tributaries, contribute 90% of the annual inflow to the lake (1,527,600 mean acre-feet (1929-1993); Gearheart et al. 1995). Overall, Upper Klamath Lake is described as a very productive eutrophic lake that is marked by high levels of available nutrients and plant life. It is this wealth of nutrients that allows Aph. flos-aquae to grow in such abundance in the wild. Upper Klamath Lake is one of only a few ecosystems which supports the recurrent growth of Aph. flos-aquae in such abundance.

Upper Klamath Lake has sometimes been referred to as polluted because of the lake's incredible bounty of Aph. flos-aquae. The most observable influence of this blue green algae is the change in the chemical properties of the water around the blooming algal masses, namely dissolved oxygen, pH and ammonia. Given summer conditions and a large algal bloom, water chemistry can change drastically and these parameters can reach levels that can directly impact fish species (Monda and Saiki, 1993). Fish will congregate near inflow areas of better water quality, yet their density and stressed condition renders them susceptible to outbreaks of disease and die-offs. In Upper Klamath Lake such fish kills (1971, 1986, 1995) are generally attributed to outbreaks of "Columnaris" disease (Logan and Markle, 1993). These outbreaks have been common in fish hatcheries under crowded, high temperature conditions (Piper et al. 1982). Such impact on the survival of fish has led people unaware of this natural chemistry to state that Klamath Lake is polluted. Various testing for pesticides, petro-chemicals and other contaminants over the past 10 years failed to reveal the presence of any such contaminants.

Aph. flos-aquae and the issue of neurotoxicity

A few reports of neurotoxicity in the scientific literature have raised unwarranted concern. Aside from these reports, nearly ten years of regular testing (more than 300 samples tested) has failed to reveal the presence of any neurotoxins. In the late 1990s two lawsuits were filed against companies harvesting from Klamath Lake for neurotoxicity. Both cases were dismissed after considerable effort to detect neurotoxins proved unsuccessful. Finally, a study recently published used genetic technologies to determine that the previous reports of neurotoxicity associated with Aph. flos aquae had misidentified the algal species and the toxic algal samples were not Aph. flos aquae but a species of Anabaena. Below is a brief and more detailed account of the evolution of the scientific data regarding the neurotoxicity of Aph. flos aquae.

Klamath Lake

The first article to report toxicity of Aph. flos aquae summarized a 1960 US Department of Health, Education and Welfare seminar in which authors Phinney and Peek (1961) refer to a toxic algal bloom that occurred in Upper Klamath Lake in the late 1950's. A sample of this algal bloom was sent to Dr. Paul Gorham, then at the National Research Council, Ottawa, Canada, for toxicological analysis. Although Phinney and Peek reported:

"no concrete evidence was obtained as to the effect of this toxin on the biota of the Lake and River, but experiments with mice proved that ingestion of the algal material was quickly lethal and intraperitoneal injection of the aqueous extract almost instantaneous in causing death"

Gorham determined that the sample was not pure Aph. flos-aquae, but actually consisted of equal parts of Aph. flos-aquae and Microcystis - an algae known to produce microcystins. Gorham concluded that the toxicity came not from the Aph. flos-aquae, but from the Microcystis (Gorham, 1964; Carmichael and Gorham, 1980; Gorham, personal communication to W.W.C., 1995).

The second article concerning Klamath Lake was a preliminary summary of a toxicity test on Upper Klamath Lake Aph. flos-aquae published by Gentile (1971) in a review article on blue-green and green algal toxins. A mouse assay (n=1) was performed on a colony isolate of Aph. flos-aquae cultured for a short period of time in a laboratory. Signs of poisoning in the mouse were reported as similar to that of a Kezar Lake, New Hampshire (see below) Aph. flos-aquae sample later shown to produce a toxin with similarities to saxitoxin and its derivatives.

In both articles, several elements did cast significant uncertainty concerning this possible neurotoxicity of Upper Klamath Lake Aph. flos-aquae. These include:

1. lack of taxonomic verification of Aph. flos-aquae as the dominant alga in the tested culture;
2. lack of a complete mouse bioassay which would have established the minimum lethal dose, LD50 and toxicity compared to known saxitoxin standards; and
3. lack of a confirmation of toxicity by other laboratories working with these neurotoxins.

For these reasons, it could not be concluded that Aph. flos-aquae from Upper Klamath Lake produced a neurotoxin. As quoted by Gentile (personal communication to W.W.C., March 27, 1996), "This anecdotal toxicity test on Upper Klamath Lake Aph. flos-aquae should be rigorously restudied before it can be concluded that the alga produces a toxin". Periodic toxicity tests in the 1980s plus frequent regular testing since 1991 have failed to reveal any neurotoxins in Upper Klamath Lake Aph. flos-aquae (Carmichael et al., 2000).

Aph. flos-aquae samples from other locations

In spite of the complete absence of neurotoxicity as tested numerous times using HPLC and mouse bioassay, doubts regarding the possible neurotoxicity of Klamath Lake Aph. flos-aquae persisted because of the discovery of three samples of Aph. flos-aquae found elsewhere (USA and Finland) that contained neurotoxicity.

Sawyer et al. (1968) and Gentile and Maloney (1969) reported toxicity of an atypical non-colony forming Aph. flos-aquae that killed fish and laboratory mice. This Aph. flos-aquae came from Kezar Lake in New Hampshire. More recently, Rapala et al. (1993) reported toxicity of Aph. flos-aquae isolated from water blooms in Finland. These studies establish that Aph. flos-aquae is toxic only in some geographical locations. This study also demonstrated that it was not possible, under the experimental conditions, to manipulate a non-toxic strain of Aph. flos-aquae to become toxic.

At this point in time, the general consensus among scientists was that some strains of Aph. flos-aquae were capable of producing neurotoxins but most strains, include the Klamath Lake strain, were non-toxic.

One aspect that caught the attention of several scientists was the mention in the aforementioned articles that the toxic samples of Aph. flos-aquae were atypical non-colony forming Aph. flos-aquae. In other words, the toxic strains that were originally identified and classified as Aph. flos-aquae were not typical of Aph. flos-aquae and the original identification could have been inaccurate. Indeed, the boundary between Aph. flos-aquae and some Anabaena species is very unclear and misidentification of the algal species can be problematic. Anabaena spp. is known to produce various kinds of neurotoxins.

Recent developments in genetics have provided the tools to determine, using genetic similarities, whether the toxic strains of Aph. flos-aquae are the same species as the strain showed to be non-toxic. Recently, Li et al. (2000) have shown that all the toxic strains of Aph. flos-aquae are genetically dissimilar to the non-toxic strains and most likely belong to the Anabaena genera.

Court Cases

It is interesting to briefly discuss two instances in which lawsuits were filed around the issue of neurotoxicity of Klamath Lake Aph. flos-aquae.

In the first one a man, Mr. Fineman, claimed that consumption of Aph. flos-aquae triggered neuropathy. The case revealed that Mr. Fineman had been suffering from diabetes since early childhood and had had many episodes of developing neuropathy. After two years of contracting with various laboratories throughout the world to detect and identify a neurotoxin in Aph. flos-aquae, Mr. Fineman had to withdraw the suit because of lack of evidence. The court obliged Mr. Fineman to published the following statement:

"I, Samuel Fineman, brought a lawsuit against Cell Tech and the Kollmans because I thought I had been harmed by some substance in Cell Tech's products. Testing and investigation (including testing for neurotoxins) did not confirm the presence of any such substance. Accordingly, I have withdrawn my lawsuit in its entirety."

In a second case, the aforementioned company Cell Tech filed a lawsuit against an individual, Mark Thorson, who had relentlessly published over the Internet that Aph. flos-aquae from Klamath Lake contained a neurotoxin similar to cocaine and dangerous to consumers. Once again, after considerable effort to prove his allegations, Mr. Thorson lost his case. He was also asked to published the following statement over the Internet:

"During the last several years, I have from time to time posted to this and other newsgroups a file of information called "An Anatoxin-a Primer." I now retract the statements made in the Anatoxin-a Primer.

The Anatoxin-a Primer implied that Super Blue Green Algae from Klamath Lake, produced by Cell Tech, contains anatoxin-a (a neurotoxin I characterized as addictive), and that Cell Tech deliberately avoids testing for this toxin because anatoxin-a is responsible for the effects reported by SBGA users. I have since been advised that Cell Tech conducts regular tests that would disclose anatoxin-a, and that this toxin has never been found in Super Blue Green Algae. I had no basis for the suggestions I made in the Anatoxin-a Primer, and I hereby retract it in full."

These two cases are interesting as they both relied on the explicit demonstration that Aph. flos-aquae from Klamath Lake contained a neurotoxin. In both cases, many laboratories throughout the world with the capability and the expertise to detect and quantify neurotoxins were contracted to find neurotoxins in Aph. flos-aquae from Klamath Lake, with no success.

Summary

In summary, the few instances of reports of neurotoxicity of Aph. flos-aquae pertained not to Aph. flos-aquae but to species believed to be Anabaena spp. All samples shown to be Aph. flos-aquae by PCR technology (genetics) were all reported to be non-toxic. In addition, two significant legal suits failed to detect the presence of any neurotoxin in Aph. flos-aquae from Upper Klamath Lake.

Taken altogether, the available data demonstrate the non-toxicity of Aph. flos-aquae from Upper Klamath Lake.

References

Carmichael, W.W., Drapeau, C., and Anderson, D.M. (2000) Harvesting of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae Ralfs ex Born. & Flah. Var. flos-aquae (Cyanobacteria) from Klamath Lake for human dietary use, J. App. Phyco., vol. 12, pp. 585-595.

Carmichael, W.W., and P.R. Gorham. (1980) Freshwater cyanophyte toxins, In: Algae Biomass, Elsevier, New York, pp. 437-448.

Gearheart, R.A., J.K Anderson, M.G. Forbes, M. Osburn, and D. Oros. (1995) Watershed strategies for improving water quality in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. Humboldt State University, Environmental Resources Engineering Department. 3 Volumes.

Gentile, J.H., and T.E. Maloney. (1969) Toxicity and environmental requirements of a strain of Aphanizomenon flos aquae (L.) Ralfs, Can. J. Microbiol., vol. 15 (2), pp. 165-173.

Gentile, J.H. (1971) Blue green and green algal toxins. In: Microbial Toxins, Vol. 7, Academic Press, New York, pp. 27-67.

Gorham, P.R. (1964) Toxic Algae. In: Algae and Man, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 307-306.

Logan, D.J., and D.F. Markle (1993) Fish faunal survey of Agency Lake and northern Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. In Environmental research in the Klamath Basin, Oregon - 1992 Annual Report. S.G. Campbell (ed.) p. 341.

Monda, D.P. and M.K. Saiki. (1993) Tolerance of Juvenile Lost River and Shortnose suckers to high pH, ammonia concentration, and temperature, and to low dissolved oxygen concentration. In Environmental research in the Klamath Basin, Oregon - 1992 Annual Report. S.G. Campbell (ed.) p. 341.

Piper, R.G, I.B. McElwain, L.E. Orme, J.P. McCraren, L.G. Fowler, and J.R. Leonard. (1982) Fish Hatchery Management. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington D.C. p. 517.

Phinney, H.K. and Peek, C.A. (1961) Klamath Lake, an instance of natural enrichment. In Transactions of the seminar on Algae and Metropolitan Wastes. U.S. Public Health Service, pp. 22-27.

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BENEFITS of Klamath Lake algae. PUB MED REPORT

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=klamath%20algae 

 
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