"... the authors, H.P. Van Egmond, M.E. Van Apeldoorn and G.J.A. Speijers from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the Netherlands"--P. vii.

"This paper was written under the framework of the project "Natural Toxins" (RIVM project 310301), implemented by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the Netherlands, on behalf of the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, the Netherlands"--P. vii.

This paper provides an extensive review of different aspects of five shellfish-poisoning syndromes (paralytic, diarrhoeic, amnesic, neurologic and azapiracid), as well as one fish-poisoning syndrome (ciguatera fish poisoning), and discusses in detail the causative toxins produced by marine organisms, chemical structures and analytical methods of the toxins, habitat and occurrence of the toxin-producing organisms, case studies and existing regulations. Based on this analysis, risk assessments are carried out for each of the toxins, and recommendations are elaborated to improve the management of these risks in order to reduce the harmful effect of these toxins on public health.