Only a few species of dinoflagellates are toxic but they produce a wide variety of illnesses including Paralytic, Diarrhetic and Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning. Also stemming from toxic dinoflagellates, Ciguatera Fish Poisoning is one of the most reported food-borne illnesses. A notable illness that is associated with toxic diatoms is Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning. A variety of toxins, which are introduced into the food web by these phytoplankton, can pose serious risks to humans who eat contaminated seafood. For example, humans risk death from Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning if they eat shellfish that have accumulated a particularly dangerous saxitoxin which is produced by species within the genus Alexandrium.

TOXIC DINOFLAGELLATE BLOOMS
TOXIC DIATOM BLOOMS