ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a proactive risk assessment and management framework that can be applied to identify and manage threats to public health from water-use systems, including cyanotoxins, namely, water safety planning. It provides guidance not only on how the Water Safety Plan (WSP) approach can be used to manage the risk of cyanotoxin occurrence in drinking-water, but also on how the framework can be adapted and expanded to consider cyanotoxin exposure from other routes relevant for a given context. As such, a WSP should not only address cyanobacterial risks, but rather comprehensively assess and prioritise all of the risks from the range of hazards identified for a given supply system. Although originally developed to ensure the safety of drinking-water supplies, WSPs are not limited to this application – the WSP framework can equally be adapted and applied for the assessment and management of risks from other potential exposure routes, in particular through recreational water contact.
