manuscript/f1000_revisions/ow_comments.md

In USEPA/Microcystinchla: Code, Data, and Manuscript for NLA, microcystin, Chl analysis

1. ORD refers in the paper as the “US EPA microcystin-LR health advisory levels for drinking water”. – EPA issued health advisories for all microcystins, not for MC-LR only. Although we used the MC-LR as a surrogate for all microcystins in the health advisory, ORD’s interpretation of the HA is incorrect.

2. In the paper, ORD refers as the “US EPA children’s drinking water advisory level of 0.3 μg/L (US EPA child), and the US EPA adult drinking water advisory level of 1.6 μg/L (US EPA adult). – EPA’s does not use the term HAs for children, we developed HAs for bottle-fed infants and young children of pre-school age (up to 6 y/o) and for school-age children through adults. ORD did not specify this information in the paper. The way that ORD described the 0.3 value gives the wrong impression of the age groups protected by that HA value. Children are defined as young people until 18 y/o, and that’s not the age group for which the 0.3 ug/L value was developed, instead it applies to infants through pre-school age groups (less than 6 y/o). In my opinion, ORD should have included this information in the paper to avoid misinterpretations of the Health Advisories.

USEPA/Microcystinchla documentation built on May 9, 2019, 5:23 p.m.