1
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Evers DC, Ackerman JT, Åkerblom S, Bally D, Basu N, Bishop K, Bodin N, Braaten HFV, Burton MEH, Bustamante P, Chen C, Chételat J, Christian L, Dietz R, Drevnick P, Eagles-Smith C, Fernandez LE, Hammerschlag N, Harmelin-Vivien M, Harte A, Krümmel EM, Brito JL, Medina G, Barrios Rodriguez CA, Stenhouse I, Sunderland E, Takeuchi A, Tear T, Vega C, Wilson S, Wu P. Global mercury concentrations in biota: their use as a basis for a global biomonitoring framework. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2024; 33:325-396. [PMID: 38683471 PMCID: PMC11213816 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-024-02747-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
An important provision of the Minamata Convention on Mercury is to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the adopted measures and its implementation. Here, we describe for the first time currently available biotic mercury (Hg) data on a global scale to improve the understanding of global efforts to reduce the impact of Hg pollution on people and the environment. Data from the peer-reviewed literature were compiled in the Global Biotic Mercury Synthesis (GBMS) database (>550,000 data points). These data provide a foundation for establishing a biomonitoring framework needed to track Hg concentrations in biota globally. We describe Hg exposure in the taxa identified by the Minamata Convention: fish, sea turtles, birds, and marine mammals. Based on the GBMS database, Hg concentrations are presented at relevant geographic scales for continents and oceanic basins. We identify some effective regional templates for monitoring methylmercury (MeHg) availability in the environment, but overall illustrate that there is a general lack of regional biomonitoring initiatives around the world, especially in Africa, Australia, Indo-Pacific, Middle East, and South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Temporal trend data for Hg in biota are generally limited. Ecologically sensitive sites (where biota have above average MeHg tissue concentrations) have been identified throughout the world. Efforts to model and quantify ecosystem sensitivity locally, regionally, and globally could help establish effective and efficient biomonitoring programs. We present a framework for a global Hg biomonitoring network that includes a three-step continental and oceanic approach to integrate existing biomonitoring efforts and prioritize filling regional data gaps linked with key Hg sources. We describe a standardized approach that builds on an evidence-based evaluation to assess the Minamata Convention's progress to reduce the impact of global Hg pollution on people and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Evers
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA.
| | - Joshua T Ackerman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, CA, 95620, USA
| | | | - Dominique Bally
- African Center for Environmental Health, BP 826 Cidex 03, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Nil Basu
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Kevin Bishop
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Upsalla, Sweden
| | - Nathalie Bodin
- Research Institute for Sustainable Development Seychelles Fishing Authority, Victoria, Seychelles
| | | | - Mark E H Burton
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
| | - Celia Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
| | - John Chételat
- Environment and Cliamte Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Linroy Christian
- Department of Analytical Services, Dunbars, Friars Hill, St John, Antigua and Barbuda
| | - Rune Dietz
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Department of Ecoscience, P.O. Box 358, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Paul Drevnick
- Teck American Incorporated, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Collin Eagles-Smith
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Luis E Fernandez
- Sabin Center for Environment and Sustainability and Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 29106, USA
- Centro de Innovación Científica Amazonica (CINCIA), Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, Peru
| | - Neil Hammerschlag
- Shark Research Foundation Inc, 29 Wideview Lane, Boutiliers Point, NS, B3Z 0M9, Canada
| | - Mireille Harmelin-Vivien
- Aix-Marseille Université, Université de Toulon, CNRS/INSU/IRD, Institut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie (MIO), UM 110, Campus de Luminy, case 901, 13288, Marseille, cedex 09, France
| | - Agustin Harte
- Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions Secretariat, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Chem. des Anémones 15, 1219, Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Eva M Krümmel
- Inuit Circumpolar Council-Canada, Ottawa, Canada and ScienTissiME Inc, Barry's Bay, ON, Canada
| | - José Lailson Brito
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Sao Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 4002, CEP 20550-013, Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Medina
- Director of Basel Convention Coordinating Centre, Stockholm Convention Regional Centre for Latin America and the Caribbean, Hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | | | - Iain Stenhouse
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Elsie Sunderland
- Harvard University, Pierce Hall 127, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Akinori Takeuchi
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, Health and Environmental Risk Division, 16-2 Onogawa Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Tim Tear
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Claudia Vega
- Centro de Innovaccion Cientifica Amazonica (CINCIA), Jiron Ucayali 750, Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, 17001, Peru
| | - Simon Wilson
- Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) Secretariat, N-9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Pianpian Wu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
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Bello TCS, Buralli RJ, Cunha MPL, Dórea JG, Diaz-Quijano FA, Guimarães JRD, Marques RC. Mercury Exposure in Women of Reproductive Age in Rondônia State, Amazon Region, Brazil. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:5225. [PMID: 36982134 PMCID: PMC10049295 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20065225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Environmental contamination by mercury (Hg) is a problem of global scale that affects human health. This study's aim was to evaluate Hg exposure among women of reproductive age residing in the Madeira River basin, in the State of Rondônia, Brazilian Amazon. This longitudinal cohort study used linear regression models to assess the effects on Hg levels of breastfeeding duration at 6 months, and of breastfeeding duration and number of new children at 2-year and 5-year. Breastfeeding duration was significantly associated with maternal Hg levels in all regression models (6 months, 2 years and 5 years) and no significant association was observed between the number of children and the change in maternal Hg levels in the 2-year and 5-year models. This longitudinal cohort study evaluated Hg levels and contributing factors among pregnant women from different communities (riverine, rural, mining and urban) in Rondônia, Amazon Region, for 5 years. A well-coordinated and designed national biomonitoring program is urgently needed to better understand the current situation of Hg levels in Brazil and the Amazon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thayssa C. S. Bello
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Macaé 27965-045, Brazil;
| | - Rafael J. Buralli
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP), São Paulo 01246-903, Brazil;
| | - Mônica P. L. Cunha
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Desenvolvimento Regional e Meio Ambiente, Universidade Federal de Rondônia (UNIR), Porto Velho 76801-058, Brazil;
| | - José G. Dórea
- Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Brasilia 70970-000, Brazil;
| | - Fredi A. Diaz-Quijano
- Departamento de Epidemiologia, Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo 01246-904, Brazil;
| | - Jean R. D. Guimarães
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-170, Brazil;
| | - Rejane C. Marques
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Macaé 27965-045, Brazil;
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Mussy MH, de Almeida R, de Carvalho DP, Lauthartte LC, de Holanda IBB, Almeida MGD, de Sousa-Filho IF, de Rezende CE, Malm O, Bastos WR. Evaluating total mercury and methylmercury biomagnification using stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in fish from the Madeira River basin, Brazilian Amazon. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:33543-33554. [PMID: 36480140 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24235-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The isotopic signatures of carbon in primary consumer fish species in the Madeira River basin (Western Amazon) follow a pattern, with basal species feeding mainly on C3 (e.g., vascular plants and phytoplankton). In this study with 196 specimens of 19 fish species and six trophic guilds, significant differences were found between the two main groups of primary consumers (herbivores and detritivores) in the Madeira River basin. The mercury and δ15N data indicated that the fish specimens collected in Puruzinho and Cuniã Lakes provided greater trophic magnification factors (TMFs) for this metal than those found in the corresponding rivers. In relation to total mercury (0.09-2.07 μg g-1) and methylmercury (0.05-1.91 μg g-1) concentrations, the piscivorous/carnivorous species exceeded the values recommended by the World Health Organization, with a [MeHg:THg] ratio of about 80%. Preventive and educational practices should be adopted to reduce the possible toxic effects of Hg in the riverside population, for whom fish constitutes the main protein source. Also, biomonitoring of the fish species in the Madeira River should be conducted on an ongoing basis to detect possible alterations in mercury concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marília Higino Mussy
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental WCP, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, Brazil
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ronaldo de Almeida
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental WCP, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, Brazil
- Departamento de Ciências Sociais e Ambientais, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Guajará-Mirim, Rondônia, Brazil
| | - Dario Pires de Carvalho
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental WCP, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, Brazil
- Santo Antônio Energia, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil
| | - Leidiane Caroline Lauthartte
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental WCP, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, Brazil
- Colégio Universitário, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil
| | | | - Marcelo Gomes de Almeida
- Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Izidro Ferreira de Sousa-Filho
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental WCP, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, Brazil
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carlos Eduardo de Rezende
- Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Olaf Malm
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Wanderley Rodrigues Bastos
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental WCP, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, Brazil.
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Santiago MGA, Faria VD, Cirinêu FD, Queiroz da Silva LLDL, de Almeida EC, Cavallini NG, Souza Vieira JC, Henrique Fernandes AA, Braga CP, Zara LF, Rabelo Buzalaf MA, Adamec J, de Magalhães Padilha P. Metalloproteomic approach to liver tissue of rats exposed to mercury. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 312:137222. [PMID: 36375612 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The aims of this study were to identify mercury-associated protein spots in the liver tissue of rats exposed to low concentrations of mercury and to elucidate the physiological and functional aspects of the proteins identified in the protein spots. Therefore, proteomic analysis of the liver tissue of Wistar rats exposed to mercury chloride (4.60 μg kg-1 in Hg2+) was performed for thirty days (Hg-30 group) and sixty days (Hg-60 group). The proteomic profile of the liver tissue of the rats was obtained by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2D-PAGE), and the determinations of total mercury in the liver tissue, pellets and protein spots were performed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). ImageMaster 2D Platinum 7.0 software was used to identify the differentially expressed mercury-associated protein spots, which were then characterized by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The determinations by GFAAS indicated a total mercury bioaccumulation of 2812% in the Hg-30 group and 3298% in the Hg-60 group and 10 mercury-associated protein spots with a concentration range of 51 ± 1.0 to 412 ± 6.00 mg kg-1 in the 2D PAGE gels from the liver tissue of the Hg-60 group. The LC-MS/MS analyses allowed the identification of 11 metal binding proteins in mercury-associated protein spots that presented fold change with upregulation >1.5, downregulation < -1.7 or that were expressed only in the Hg-60 group. Using the FASTA sequences of the proteins identified in the mercury-associated protein spots, bioinformatics analyses were performed to elucidate the physiological and functional aspects of the metal binding proteins, allowing us to infer that enzymes such as GSTM2 presented greater mercury concentrations and downregulation < -3; Acaa2 and Bhmt, which showed expression only in the Hg-60 group, among others, may act as potential mercury exposure biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Victor Diego Faria
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Luís Fabrício Zara
- University of Brasília (UNB), College of Planaltina, Distrito Federal, Brazil
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Fish consumption habits of pregnant women in Itaituba, Tapajós River basin, Brazil: risks of mercury contamination as assessed by measuring total mercury in highly consumed piscivore fish species and in hair of pregnant women. ARHIV ZA HIGIJENU RADA I TOKSIKOLOGIJU 2022; 73:131-142. [PMID: 35792767 PMCID: PMC9287832 DOI: 10.2478/aiht-2022-73-3611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The Tapajós River basin in the Amazon region, Brazil is one of the most active gold mining areas in the world. In this study, we evaluated fish consumption habits and mercury exposure in 110 pregnant women in the city of Itaituba by measuring their total hair mercury concentrations. In addition, we investigated seasonal differences in mercury concentrations in two highly consumed piscivorous fish species, tucunaré (Cichla spp.) and pescada (Plagioscion squamosissimus). Total fish mercury concentrations (THg) during the dry season were 0.62±0.07 mg/kg for Cichla spp. and 0.73±0.08 mg/kg for P. squamosissimus. During the rainy season they were 0.39±0.04 and 0.84±0.08 mg/ kg, respectively. Of our participants 44 % declared that they ate Cichla spp. and 67 % P. squamosissimus. Mean mercury concentration in their hair was 1.6±0.2 mg/kg and was above the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) reference dose of 1 mg/kg in 48 % of them. Mean fish THg concentrations were also above the joint Food and Drug Administration and US EPA safety limit of 0.5 mg/kg for P. squamosissimus during both seasons and for Cichla spp. during the dry season only. These results show that pregnant women should avoid consumption of these piscivorous fish species during pregnancy and call for a regular programme to monitor Hg levels in that area.
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Liu XB, Lin C, Wu YY, Huang HN, Zhu LT, Jiang R, Huang Q. Dataset-based assessment of heavy metal contamination in freshwater fishes and their health risks. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:49985-49997. [PMID: 35224696 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19427-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The ecological risks and health hazards of heavy metals pollution in Taihu Lake have received widespread concern. This study has developed a species-pollution dataset which includes a large amount of data on heavy metal pollution in Taihu fish. The heavy metal contamination poses a significant threat to human consumption, but no studies have been conducted to assess the risk of exposure to consumption of these fish and to make recommendations for their consumption. In this study, we systematically integrated the relevant data in the dataset, analyzed its contamination level using PI (single pollution index) and MPI (metal pollution index) models, and assessed health hazards of fish consumption using THQ (target hazard quotient) and ILCR (incremental lifetime cancer risk) models. Results showed that the contamination levels of heavy metals in fish varied in a feeding habit and living habit dependent manner. The risk of non-cancer health is the highest from consuming omnivorous fish, then from carnivorous and herbivorous fish. The ILCR model predicted that the long-term Taihu consumption of omnivorous fish may pose a potential carcinogenic risk, especially for children. In all, our study provided a comprehensive understanding on the risk of heavy metals in Taihu. Accordingly, it is recommended that children should try to choose herbivorous fish when consuming fish from Taihu Lake while avoiding long-term consumption of omnivorous fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Bo Liu
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, People's Republic of China
| | - Congtian Lin
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, People's Republic of China
- National Basic Science Data Center, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Yang-Yu Wu
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, People's Republic of China
| | - Hai-Ning Huang
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, People's Republic of China
| | - Li-Ting Zhu
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, People's Republic of China
| | - Ru Jiang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiansheng Huang
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, People's Republic of China.
- National Basic Science Data Center, Beijing, 100190, China.
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Meneses HDNDM, Oliveira-da-Costa M, Basta PC, Morais CG, Pereira RJB, de Souza SMS, Hacon SDS. Mercury Contamination: A Growing Threat to Riverine and Urban Communities in the Brazilian Amazon. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19052816. [PMID: 35270508 PMCID: PMC8910171 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19052816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
In recent decades, widespread and uncontrolled use of mercury (Hg) in artisanal small-scale gold mining has released thousands of tons of mercury-contaminated waste in the Amazon biome, endangering the largest tropical rainforest worldwide. In this study, we assessed and compared blood Hg levels in individuals living in urban and riverine areas in the lower Tapajós basin and examined the association between Hg exposure and specific biochemical parameters. In total, 462 adults from eight riverine communities and one urban area were assessed. Overall, 75.6% of the participants exhibited Hg concentrations exceeding the safe limit (10 µg/L). Hg exposure was higher in the riverine population (90%) than in urban areas (57.1%). Mean Hg levels were 21.8 ± 30.9 µg/L and 50.6 µg/L in urban and riverine residents, respectively. The mean Hg level was higher in those aged 41–60 years in both urban and riparian areas, with riparian residents exhibiting a mean double that of urban residents. The highest glucose and hepatic biomarker levels were detected in the urban area, whereas the highest levels of renal biomarker occurred in the riverine population. Our results indicate that Hg contamination remains a persistent challenge for the urban population of Santarém, a major city in the Brazilian Amazon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heloisa do Nascimento de Moura Meneses
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde (PPGCSA), Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Rua Vera Paz Av. Vera Paz, s/n, Bairro Salé, 1° Pavimento, Unidade Tapajós, 68035-110 Santarém, Brazil; (C.G.M.); (R.J.B.P.)
- Correspondence:
| | | | - Paulo Cesar Basta
- Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sérgio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480, Manguinhos, 21041-210 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; (P.C.B.); (S.d.S.H.)
| | - Cristiano Gonçalves Morais
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde (PPGCSA), Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Rua Vera Paz Av. Vera Paz, s/n, Bairro Salé, 1° Pavimento, Unidade Tapajós, 68035-110 Santarém, Brazil; (C.G.M.); (R.J.B.P.)
| | - Romulo Jorge Batista Pereira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde (PPGCSA), Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Rua Vera Paz Av. Vera Paz, s/n, Bairro Salé, 1° Pavimento, Unidade Tapajós, 68035-110 Santarém, Brazil; (C.G.M.); (R.J.B.P.)
| | - Suelen Maria Santos de Souza
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sociedade Natureza e Desenvolvimento (PPGSND), Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Rua Vera Paz Av. Vera Paz, s/n, Bairro Salé, 1° Pavimento, Unidade Tapajós, 68035-110 Santarém, Brazil;
| | - Sandra de Souza Hacon
- Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sérgio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480, Manguinhos, 21041-210 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; (P.C.B.); (S.d.S.H.)
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de Bakker LB, Gasparinetti P, de Queiroz JM, de Vasconcellos ACS. Economic Impacts on Human Health Resulting from the Use of Mercury in the Illegal Gold Mining in the Brazilian Amazon: A Methodological Assessment. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182211869. [PMID: 34831624 PMCID: PMC8622153 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182211869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in the Amazon results in the dumping of tons of mercury into the environment annually. Despite consensus on the impacts of mercury on human health, there are still unknowns regarding: (i) the extent to which mercury from ASGM can be dispersed in the environment until it becomes toxic to humans; and (ii) the economic value of losses caused by contamination becomes evident. The main objective of this study is to propose a methodology to evaluate the impacts of ASGM on human health in different contexts in the Brazilian Amazon. We connect several points in the literature based on hypotheses regarding mercury dispersion in water, its transformation into methylmercury, and absorption by fish and humans. This methodology can be used as a tool to estimate the extent of environmental damage caused by artisanal gold mining, the severity of damage to the health of individuals contaminated by mercury and, consequently, can contribute to the application of fines to environmental violators. The consequences of contamination are evaluated by dose-response functions relating to mercury concentrations in hair and the development of the following health outcomes: (i) mild mental retardation, (ii) acute myocardial infarction, and (iii) hypertension. From disability-adjusted life years and statistical life value, we found that the economic losses range from 100,000 to 400,000 USD per kilogram of gold extracted. A case study of the Yanomami indigenous land shows that the impacts of mercury from illegal gold mining in 2020 totaled 69 million USD, which could be used by local authorities to compensate the Yanomami people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Barcellos de Bakker
- Leonardo B. Bakker Assessoria, São Clemente Street, Rio de Janeiro 254, Rio de Janeiro 22260-004, Brazil
- Correspondence:
| | - Pedro Gasparinetti
- Conservation Strategy Fund, Av. Churchill 129, Rio de Janeiro 20020-050, Brazil;
| | - Júlia Mello de Queiroz
- Julia Queiroz Consultoria Desenvolvimento Verde, Maria Angelica Street, Rio de Janeiro 382, Rio de Janeiro 22461-152, Brazil;
| | - Ana Claudia Santiago de Vasconcellos
- Laboratory of Professional Education in Health Surveillance, Joaquim Venâncio Polytechnic School of Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil;
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Pereyra PER, Hallwass G, Poesch M, Silvano RAM. ‘Taking Fishers’ Knowledge to the Lab’: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understand Fish Trophic Relationships in the Brazilian Amazon. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.723026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Trophic levels can be applied to describe the ecological role of organisms in food webs and assess changes in ecosystems. Stable isotopes analysis can assist in the understanding of trophic interactions and use of food resources by aquatic organisms. The local ecological knowledge (LEK) of fishers can be an alternative to advance understanding about fish trophic interactions and to construct aquatic food webs, especially in regions lacking research capacity. The objectives of this study are: to calculate the trophic levels of six fish species important to fishing by combining data from stable isotopes analysis and fishers’ LEK in two clear water rivers (Tapajós and Tocantins) in the Brazilian Amazon; to compare the trophic levels of these fish between the two methods (stable isotopes analysis and LEK) and the two rivers; and to develop diagrams representing the trophic webs of the main fish prey and predators based on fisher’s LEK. The fish species studied were Pescada (Plagioscion squamosissimus), Tucunaré (Cichla pinima), Piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus), Aracu (Leporinus fasciatus), Charuto (Hemiodus unimaculatus), and Jaraqui (Semaprochilodus spp.). A total of 98 interviews and 63 samples for stable isotopes analysis were carried out in both rivers. The average fish trophic levels did not differ between the stable isotopes analysis and the LEK in the Tapajós, nor in the Tocantins Rivers. The overall trophic level of the studied fish species obtained through the LEK did not differ from data obtained through the stable isotopes analysis in both rivers, except for the Aracu in the Tapajós River. The main food items consumed by the fish according to fishers’ LEK did agree with fish diets as described in the biological literature. Fishers provided useful information on fish predators and feeding habits of endangered species, such as river dolphin and river otter. Collaboration with fishers through LEK studies can be a viable approach to produce reliable data on fish trophic ecology to improve fisheries management and species conservation in tropical freshwater environments and other regions with data limitations.
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Basta PC, Viana PVDS, de Vasconcellos ACS, Périssé ARS, Hofer CB, Paiva NS, Kempton JW, Ciampi de Andrade D, de Oliveira RAA, Achatz RW, Perini JA, Meneses HDNDM, Hallwass G, Lima MDO, de Jesus IM, dos Santos CCR, Hacon SDS. Mercury Exposure in Munduruku Indigenous Communities from Brazilian Amazon: Methodological Background and an Overview of the Principal Results. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:9222. [PMID: 34501811 PMCID: PMC8430525 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18179222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The Amazonian indigenous peoples depend on natural resources to live, but human activities' growing impacts threaten their health and livelihoods. Our objectives were to present the principal results of an integrated and multidisciplinary analysis of the health parameters and assess the mercury (Hg) exposure levels in indigenous populations in the Brazilian Amazon. We carried out a cross-sectional study based on a census of three Munduruku indigenous villages (Sawré Muybu, Poxo Muybu, and Sawré Aboy), located in the Sawré Muybu Indigenous Land, between 29 October and 9 November 2019. The investigation included: (i) sociodemographic characterization of the participants; (ii) health assessment; (iii) genetic polymorphism analysis; (iv) hair mercury determination; and (v) fish mercury determination. We used the logistic regression model with conditional Prevalence Ratio (PR), with the respective 95% confidence intervals (CI95%) to explore factors associated with mercury exposure levels ≥6.0 µg/g. A total of 200 participants were interviewed. Mercury levels (197 hair samples) ranged from 1.4 to 23.9 μg/g, with significant differences between the villages (Kruskal-Wallis test: 19.9; p-value < 0.001). On average, the general prevalence of Hg exposure ≥ 6.0 µg/g was 57.9%. For participants ≥12 years old, the Hg exposure ≥6.0 µg/g showed associated with no regular income (PR: 1.3; CI95%: 1.0-1.8), high blood pressure (PR: 1.6; CI95%: 1.3-2.1) and was more prominent in Sawré Aboy village (PR: 1.8; CI95%: 1.3-2.3). For women of childbearing age, the Hg exposure ≥6.0 µg/g was associated with high blood pressure (PR: 1.9; CI95%: 1.2-2.3), with pregnancy (PR: 1.5; CI95%: 1.0-2.1) and was more prominent among residents in Poxo Muybu (PR: 1.9; CI95%: 1.0-3.4) and Sawré Aboy (PR: 2.5; CI95%: 1.4-4.4) villages. Our findings suggest that chronic mercury exposure causes harmful effects to the studied indigenous communities, especially considering vulnerable groups of the population, such as women of childbearing age. Lastly, we propose to stop the illegal mining in these areas and develop a risk management plan that aims to ensure the health, livelihoods, and human rights of the indigenous people from Amazon Basin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Cesar Basta
- Departamento de Endemias Samuel Pessoa, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (ENSP/Fiocruz), Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480-Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil; (A.R.S.P.); (S.d.S.H.)
| | - Paulo Victor de Sousa Viana
- Centro de Referência Professor Hélio Fraga, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (CRPHF/ENSP/Fiocruz), Estrada de Curicica, 2000-Curicica, Rio de Janeiro 22780-195, Brazil;
| | - Ana Claudia Santiago de Vasconcellos
- Laboratório de Educação Profissional em Vigilância em Saúde, Escola Politécnica de Saúde Joaquim Venâncio, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (EPSJV/Fiocruz), Av. Brazil, 4365-Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil;
| | - André Reynaldo Santos Périssé
- Departamento de Endemias Samuel Pessoa, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (ENSP/Fiocruz), Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480-Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil; (A.R.S.P.); (S.d.S.H.)
| | - Cristina Barroso Hofer
- Instituto de Pediatria e Puericultura Martagão Gesteira, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rua Bruno Lobo, 50-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-912, Brazil;
| | - Natalia Santana Paiva
- Instituto de Estudos em Saúde Coletiva (IESC), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Avenida Horácio Macedo, s/n, Ilha do Fundão-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-598, Brazil;
| | - Joseph William Kempton
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Medical School Building, St Mary’s Hospital, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK;
| | - Daniel Ciampi de Andrade
- Centro de Dor, Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Av. Dr. Enéas Carvalho de Aguiar, 255-Cerqueira César, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (D.C.d.A.); (R.A.A.d.O.)
| | - Rogério Adas Ayres de Oliveira
- Centro de Dor, Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Av. Dr. Enéas Carvalho de Aguiar, 255-Cerqueira César, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (D.C.d.A.); (R.A.A.d.O.)
| | - Rafaela Waddington Achatz
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia Clínica do Instituto de Psicologia da Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Av. Professor Mello Moraes, 1721-Butantã, São Paulo 05508-030, Brazil;
| | - Jamila Alessandra Perini
- Laboratório de Pesquisa de Ciências Farmacêuticas (LAPESF), Centro Universitário Estadual da Zona Oeste (UEZO), Av. Manuel Caldeira de Alvarenga, 1.203, Rio de Janeiro 23070-200, Brazil;
| | - Heloísa do Nascimento de Moura Meneses
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde (PPGCSA), Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Rua Vera Paz Av. Vera Paz, s/n, Bairro Salé, 1° Pavimento, Bloco Modular Tapajós, Unidade Tapajós, Santarém, Pará 68035-110, Brazil;
| | - Gustavo Hallwass
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biociências (PPGBio), Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Rua Vera Paz, s/n, Bairro Salé, Santarém 68035-110, Brazil;
| | - Marcelo de Oliveira Lima
- Seção de Meio Ambiente, Instituto Evandro Chagas, Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde, Ministério da Saúde (SEAMB/IEC/SVS/MS), Rodovia BR-316 km 7, s/n, Levilândia 67030-000, Brazil; (M.d.O.L.); (I.M.d.J.)
| | - Iracina Maura de Jesus
- Seção de Meio Ambiente, Instituto Evandro Chagas, Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde, Ministério da Saúde (SEAMB/IEC/SVS/MS), Rodovia BR-316 km 7, s/n, Levilândia 67030-000, Brazil; (M.d.O.L.); (I.M.d.J.)
| | - Cleidiane Carvalho Ribeiro dos Santos
- Distrito Sanitário Especial Indígena Rio Tapajós (DSEI), Secretaria Especial de Saúde Indígena Tapajós (Sesai), Av. Santa Catarina, 10° Rua, nº 96, Bairro Bela Vista, Itaituba 68180-210, Brazil;
| | - Sandra de Souza Hacon
- Departamento de Endemias Samuel Pessoa, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (ENSP/Fiocruz), Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480-Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil; (A.R.S.P.); (S.d.S.H.)
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de Vasconcellos ACS, Hallwass G, Bezerra JG, Aciole ANS, Meneses HNDM, Lima MDO, de Jesus IM, Hacon SDS, Basta PC. Health Risk Assessment of Mercury Exposure from Fish Consumption in Munduruku Indigenous Communities in the Brazilian Amazon. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:7940. [PMID: 34360233 PMCID: PMC8345402 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18157940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Fish serves as the principal source of animal protein for the indigenous people of the Amazon, ensuring their food and nutritional security. However, gold mining causes mercury (Hg) contamination in fish, and consequently increases health risks associated with fish consumption. The aim of this study was to assess the health risk attributed to the consumption of mercury-contaminated fish by Munduruku indigenous communities in the Middle-Tapajós Region. Different fish species were collected in the Sawré Muybu Indigenous Land to determine mercury levels. The health risk assessment was carried out according to the World Health Organization (WHO 2008) methodology and different scenarios were built for counterfactual analysis. Eighty-eight fish specimens from 17 species and four trophic levels were analyzed. Estimates of Hg ingestion indicated that the methylmercury daily intake exceeds the U.S. EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) (2000) reference dose from 3 to 25-fold, and up to 11 times the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)/WHO (2003) dose recommendation. In all situations analyzed, the risk ratio estimates were above 1.0, meaning that the investigated Munduruku communities are at serious risk of harm as a result of ingestion of mercury-contaminated fish. These results indicate that, at present, fish consumption is not safe for this Munduruku population. This hazardous situation threatens the survival of this indigenous population, their food security, and their culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Claudia Santiago de Vasconcellos
- Laboratory of Professional Education in Health Surveillance, Joaquim Venâncio Polytechnic School of Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, 21040-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Hallwass
- Laboratory of Human Ecology, Fish, Fisheries and Conservation, Postgraduate Program in Biosciences, Federal University of West Para, 68270-000 Oriximiná, Brazil; (G.H.); (J.G.B.); (A.N.S.A.)
| | - Jaqueline Gato Bezerra
- Laboratory of Human Ecology, Fish, Fisheries and Conservation, Postgraduate Program in Biosciences, Federal University of West Para, 68270-000 Oriximiná, Brazil; (G.H.); (J.G.B.); (A.N.S.A.)
| | - Angélico Nonato Serrão Aciole
- Laboratory of Human Ecology, Fish, Fisheries and Conservation, Postgraduate Program in Biosciences, Federal University of West Para, 68270-000 Oriximiná, Brazil; (G.H.); (J.G.B.); (A.N.S.A.)
| | | | - Marcelo de Oliveira Lima
- Environment Section, Evandro Chagas Institute, Health Surveillance Secretariat, Ministry of Health, 67030-000 Ananindeua, Brazil; (M.O.L.); (I.M.J.)
| | - Iracina Maura de Jesus
- Environment Section, Evandro Chagas Institute, Health Surveillance Secretariat, Ministry of Health, 67030-000 Ananindeua, Brazil; (M.O.L.); (I.M.J.)
| | - Sandra de Souza Hacon
- Samuel Pessoa Department of Endemics, National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, 21041-210 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
| | - Paulo Cesar Basta
- Samuel Pessoa Department of Endemics, National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, 21041-210 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
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Santa-Rios A, Barst BD, Tejeda-Benitez L, Palacios-Torres Y, Baumgartner J, Basu N. Dried blood spots to characterize mercury speciation and exposure in a Colombian artisanal and small-scale gold mining community. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 266:129001. [PMID: 33248726 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.129001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector uses the most mercury (Hg) worldwide. Despite health concerns associated with high Hg exposures in these communities, ASGM sites are often situated in resource limited and remote regions which challenge traditional human biomonitoring approaches. To help overcome such challenges, here we report on the development of a high-quality method to characterize chemical speciation of Hg in dried blood spots (DBS), and then apply this method to assess Hg exposures in people sampled from an ASGM community (Pueblito Mejia) and a nearby town (Barranco de Loba) in Colombia. We collected DBS and urine samples from 35 individuals in 2018, and used these to assess occupational (DBS inorganic Hg (InHg) and urine total Hg (THg) measures) and environmental (DBS methylmercury (MeHg) measures) exposure of participants to different forms of Hg. The accuracy and precision of the DBS-based measures generally met assay performance guideline. In study participants, the mean concentrations of DBS MeHg, InHg, and THg, and urine THg were 1.9, 4.1, 6.0, and 3.1 μg/L, respectively. For 37% of the participants, DBS THg values exceeded the 5 μg/L 'alert level' proposed by the German HBM Commission. About 60% of the blood Hg was in the InHg form thus exemplifying a need to speciate Hg in blood sampled from ASGM sites to better understand the contributions of environmental and occupational exposure sources. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using DBS for Hg speciation exposure assessments in remote and resource-limited areas such as ASGM communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Santa-Rios
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada.
| | - Benjamin D Barst
- Water and Environmental Research Center, Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, United States
| | - Lesly Tejeda-Benitez
- Grupo de investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas, Toxicológicas y Ambientales, Campus de Zaragocilla, Universidad de Cartagena, 130015, Colombia
| | - Yuber Palacios-Torres
- Grupo de Toxicología Ambiental y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Tecnológica del Choco "Diego Luis Cordoba", Quibdo, Choco, A.A. 292, Colombia
| | - Jill Baumgartner
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1A3, Canada
| | - Niladri Basu
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada.
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Azevedo-Santos VM, Arcifa MS, Brito MFG, Agostinho AA, Hughes RM, Vitule JR, Simberloff D, Olden JD, Pelicice FM. Negative impacts of mining on Neotropical freshwater fishes. NEOTROPICAL ICHTHYOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1590/1982-0224-2021-0001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Mining activities have significantly affected the Neotropical freshwater ichthyofauna, the most diverse in the world. However, no study has systematized knowledge on the subject. In this review, we assembled information on the main impacts of mining of crude oil, gold, iron, copper, and bauxite on aquatic ecosystems, emphasizing Neotropical freshwater fishes. The information obtained shows that mining activities generate several different disturbances, mainly via input of crude oil, metals and other pollutants, erosion and siltation, deforestation, and road construction. Mining has resulted in direct and indirect losses of fish diversity in several Neotropical waterbodies. The negative impacts on the ichthyofauna may change the structure of communities, compromise entire food chains, and erode ecosystem services provided by freshwater fishes. Particularly noteworthy is that mining activities (legal and illegal) are widespread in the Neotropics, and often located within or near protected areas. Actions to prevent and mitigate impacts, such as inspection, monitoring, management, and restoration plans, have been cursory or absent. In addition, there is strong political pressure to expand mining; if – or when – this happens, it will increase the potential of the activity to further diminish the diversity of Neotropical freshwater fishes.
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Custódio FB, Andrade AMGF, Guidi LR, Leal CAG, Gloria MBA. Total mercury in commercial fishes and estimation of Brazilian dietary exposure to methylmercury. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2020; 62:126641. [PMID: 32947217 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2020.126641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mercury, in particular its most toxic form methylmercury, poses a risk to public health. Dietary methylmercury exposure is mainly by fish, and it can vary with fish contamination and by dietary habits of the population. This study aimed to quantify total mercury levels in different fish from Brazil and to estimate Brazilian exposure to methylmercury by fish consumption. METHODS Total mercury occurrence was investigated in 18 different fish species by atomic absorption spectrometry with thermal decomposition and gold amalgamation. Dietary exposure to methylmercury was estimated by a deterministic method for different groups considering consumption by sex, different Brazilian geographical regions and habitat (rural or urban). RESULTS Carnivorous fish showed higher levels of mercury (0.01 to 0.93 mg/kg) compared to non-strictly carnivorous fish (<0.01 to 0.30 mg/kg). Farmed fishes showed significantly lower levels compared to wild fish. Mean Brazilian fish consumption achieves FAO/WHO health recommendation of about two portions of fish per week. However, there is a large difference between fish consumption at urban and rural homes and among Brazilian geographic regions. These differences in consumption impacted estimated methylmercury intake that was higher in the Northern (1.85 μg/kg bw week) and in the Northeastern (0.72 μg/kg bw week) regions and also by rural population (1.08 μg/kg bw week). These values were compared with the toxicological reference dose for neurotoxicity of 1.6 μg/kg bw week. CONCLUSION Even though total levels of mercury in fish were lower than Brazilian and international legislations, in the Northern Brazilian region methylmercury intake overpassed the toxicological reference dose for neurotoxicity and in rural areas it achieved 68% of this reference dose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flávia Beatriz Custódio
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Toxicologia de Alimentos, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Brazil; LBqA, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Brazil.
| | - Arthur Magno G F Andrade
- LBqA, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Letícia R Guidi
- LBqA, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Brazil; Faculdade de Engenharia Química, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Campus Avançado Patos de Minas, Rua Padre Pavoni 290, Patos de Minas, MG, 38701-002, Brazil
| | - Carlos A G Leal
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária e Preventiva, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Maria Beatriz A Gloria
- LBqA, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Brazil; CEDAFAR, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Brazil
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Souza Neto HFD, Pereira WVDS, Dias YN, Souza ESD, Teixeira RA, Lima MWD, Ramos SJ, Amarante CBD, Fernandes AR. Environmental and human health risks of arsenic in gold mining areas in the eastern Amazon. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 265:114969. [PMID: 32559696 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge of arsenic (As) levels in gold (Au) mining areas in the Amazon is critical for determining environmental risks and the health of the local population, mainly because this region has the largest mineral potential in Brazil and one of the largest in the world. The objective of this study was to assess the environmental and human health risks of As in tailings from Au exploration in the eastern Amazon. Samples were collected from soils and tailings from different exploration forms from 25 points, and the total concentration, pollution indexes and human health risk were determined. Concentrations of As were very high in all exploration areas, especially in tailings, whose maximum value reached 10,000 mg kg-1, far above the investigation value established by the Brazilian National Council of the Environment, characterizing a polluted area with high environmental risk. Exposure based on the daily intake of As demonstrated a high health risk for children and adults, whose non-carcinogenic risk indexes of 17.8, extremely above the acceptable limit (1.0) established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. High levels of As in reactive fractions in underground, cyanidation, and colluvium mining areas, as well as extremely high gastric and intestinal bioaccessibility were found, suggesting that high levels may be absorbed by the local population. The results show that the study area is highly polluted through Au mining activities, putting the environment and population health at risk, and that there is an urgent need for intervention by the environmental control agencies for remediation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Silvio Junio Ramos
- Vale Institute of Technology - Sustainable Development, Belém, PA, Brazil
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Effects of foetal and breastfeeding exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) and retinol palmitate (Vitamin A) in rats: Redox parameters and susceptibility to DNA damage in liver. Mutat Res 2020; 858-860:503239. [PMID: 33198929 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2020.503239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) is known to be a chemical that poses a risk to public health. Exposure to MeHg and vitamin A (VitA) occurs through the ingestion of fish, present in the diet of most pregnant women. The absorption of these elements generates oxidative stress and can generate adaptations for future stressful events. Here, we assessed how exposure to VitA and/or MeHg during the fetal and breastfeeding period modulates the toxicity of MeHg reexposure in adulthood. We focus on redox systems and repairing DNA damage. Male rats (n = 50), were divided into 5 groups. Control received mineral oil; The VitA group received VitA during pregnancy, during breastfeeding and was exposed to MeHg in adulthood; VitA + MeHg received VitA and MeHg during pregnancy and breastfeeding and was exposed to MeHg in adulthood. The single exposure group (SE) was exposed to MeHg only in adulthood; and the MeHg group was pre-exposed to MeHg during pregnancy and breastfeeding and re-exposed to MeHg in adulthood. After treating the animals, we evaluated the redox status and the level of DNA damage in all rats. The results revealed that MeHg significantly decreased the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and sulfhydryl levels and increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione transferase, glutathione and carbonyl in all exposed groups. These results suggest that the second exposure to MeHg directly altered the effects of oxidation and that there were no specific effects associated with exposure during the fetal and breastfeeding periods. In addition, our findings indicate that MDA levels increased in MeHg and SE levels and no differences in MDA levels were observed between the VitA and MeHg + VitA groups. We also observed that animals pretreated exclusively with VitA showed residual damage similar to the control's DNA, while the other groups showed statistically higher levels of damage. In conclusion, low doses of MeHg and VitA during fetal and breastfeeding periods were unable to condition an adaptive response to subsequent exposure to MeHg in adulthood in relation to the observed levels of oxidative damage assessed after exposure.
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Albuquerque FEA, Minervino AHH, Miranda M, Herrero-Latorre C, Barrêto Júnior RA, Oliveira FLC, Sucupira MCA, Ortolani EL, López-Alonso M. Toxic and essential trace element concentrations in fish species in the Lower Amazon, Brazil. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 732:138983. [PMID: 32417551 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The Lower Amazon region (Western Pará, northern Brazil) is greatly affected by mining exploitations (particularly artisanal gold mines) and other industrial and intensive agricultural activities with potentially strong impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Although such impacts include contamination with various toxic elements, to date only the effects of Hg have been considered. In this study, toxic and trace element concentrations were determined in the flesh of 351 fish specimens, including detritivores (Acarí, Pterygoplichthys pardalis), omnivores (Piranha, Pygocentrus nattereri; Pirarucu, Arapaima sp.) and carnivores (Caparari, Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum; Tucunaré, Cichla ocellaris), during the dry and wet seasons in 2015 and 2016. The range of concentrations of toxic element residues were 2-238 μg/kg fresh weight for As, 1-77 μg/kg for Cd, 4-1922 μg/kg for Hg and 1-30 μg/kg for Pb. Only the maximum concentrations of Hg established in the Brazilian legislation for fish destined for human consumption (0.5 mg/kg) were exceeded (in 16% of carnivorous species). The large between-species and seasonal differences observed for all these toxic elements are probably related to the seasonal behaviour and dietary habits of the different fish species. By contrast, essential trace element concentrations were low and not related to seasonal or dietary factors, and the observed differences may be at least partly related to the metabolism of each species. The associations between Hg and the essential trace elements Se, Fe, Co and Mn deserve special attention, as these trace elements may play a role in Hg cycling and methylation and merit further evaluation with the aim of reducing Hg toxicity in aquatic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Edir Amaral Albuquerque
- Laboratory of Animal Health (LARSANA), Federal University of Western Pará (UFOPA), Rua Vera Paz, s/n, Salé, CEP 68040-255 Santarém, PA, Brazil; Department of Animal Pathology, Veterinary Faculty, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
| | - Antonio Humberto Hamad Minervino
- Laboratory of Animal Health (LARSANA), Federal University of Western Pará (UFOPA), Rua Vera Paz, s/n, Salé, CEP 68040-255 Santarém, PA, Brazil.
| | - Marta Miranda
- Department of Anatomy, Animal Production and Clinical Veterinary Sciences, Veterinary Faculty, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
| | - Carlos Herrero-Latorre
- Instituto de Investigación e Análises Alimentarias (IIAA), Departamento de Química Analítica, Nutrición e Bromatoloxía, Facultade de Ciencias, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
| | - Raimundo Alves Barrêto Júnior
- Department of Animal Science, Federal Rural University of the Semiarid Region (UFERSA), Av. Francisco Mota, s/n° - Bairro Pres. Costa e Silva, CEP 59625-900 Mossoró, RN, Brazil
| | - Francisco Leonardo Costa Oliveira
- Department of Clinical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Sao Paulo (FMVZ/USP). Av. Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, Cidade Universitária, CEP, 05508-270, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Maria Claudia Araripe Sucupira
- Department of Clinical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Sao Paulo (FMVZ/USP). Av. Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, Cidade Universitária, CEP, 05508-270, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Enrico Lippi Ortolani
- Department of Clinical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Sao Paulo (FMVZ/USP). Av. Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, Cidade Universitária, CEP, 05508-270, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Marta López-Alonso
- Department of Animal Pathology, Veterinary Faculty, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
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Hacon SDS, Oliveira-da-Costa M, Gama CDS, Ferreira R, Basta PC, Schramm A, Yokota D. Mercury Exposure through Fish Consumption in Traditional Communities in the Brazilian Northern Amazon. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17155269. [PMID: 32707799 PMCID: PMC7432107 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17155269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the main source of anthropogenic mercury emissions and contamination in Latin America. In the Brazilian northern Amazon, ASGM has contaminated the environment and people over the past century. The main contamination route is through fish consumption, which endangers the food security and livelihoods of traditional communities. Our study aims to assess the potential toxicological health risks caused by the consumption of Hg-contaminated fish across five regions in Amapá State. We sampled 428 fish from 18 sites across inland and coastal aquatic systems. We measured the total mercury content in fish samples, and the results were applied to a mercury exposure risk assessment targeting three distinct groups (adults, women of childbearing age, and children). Mercury contamination was found to exceed the World Health Organization’s safe limit in 28.7% of all fish samples, with higher prevalence in inland zones. Moreover, the local preference for carnivorous fish species presents a serious health risk, particularly for communities near inland rivers in the region. This is the first study to provide clear recommendations for reducing the mercury exposure through fish consumption in Amapá State. It builds scientific evidence that helps decision-makers to implement effective policies for protecting the health of riverine communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra de Souza Hacon
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sérgio Arouca, Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil; (P.C.B.); (A.S.)
- Correspondence:
| | | | - Cecile de Souza Gama
- Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Amapá, Av. Feliciano Coelho, 1509. Trem, Amapá 68901-025, Brazil;
| | - Renata Ferreira
- Iepé-Instituto de Pesquisa e Formação Indígena, Macapá, Amapá 68908-120, Brazil; (R.F.); (D.Y.)
| | - Paulo Cesar Basta
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sérgio Arouca, Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil; (P.C.B.); (A.S.)
| | - Ana Schramm
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sérgio Arouca, Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil; (P.C.B.); (A.S.)
| | - Decio Yokota
- Iepé-Instituto de Pesquisa e Formação Indígena, Macapá, Amapá 68908-120, Brazil; (R.F.); (D.Y.)
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19
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Rosa-Silva HTD, Panzenhagen AC, Schmidtt V, Alves Teixeira A, Espitia-Pérez P, de Oliveira Franco Á, Mingori M, Torres-Ávila JF, Schnorr CE, Hermann PRS, Moraes DP, Almeida RF, Moreira JCF. Hepatic and neurobiological effects of foetal and breastfeeding and adulthood exposure to methylmercury in Wistar rats. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 244:125400. [PMID: 31809933 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 10/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) is an organic bioaccumulated mercury derivative that strongly affects the environment and represents a public health problem primarily to riparian communities in South America. Our objective was to investigate the hepatic and neurological effects of MeHg exposure during the phases foetal and breast-feeding and adult in Wistar rats. Wistar rats (n = 10) were divided into 3 groups. Control group received mineral oil; The simple exposure (SE) group was exposed only in adulthood (0.5 mg/kg/day); and double exposure (DE) was pre-exposed to MeHg 0.5 mg/kg/day during pregnancy and breastfeeding (±40 days) and re-exposed to MeHg for 45 days from day 100. After, we evaluated possible abnormalities. Behavioral and biochemical parameters in liver and occipital cortex (CO), markers of liver injury, redox and AKT/GSK3β/mTOR signaling pathway. Our results showed that both groups treated with MeHg presented significant alterations, such as decreased locomotion and exploration and impaired visuospatial perception. The rats exposed to MeHg showed severe liver damage and increased hepatic glycogen concentration. The MeHg groups showed significant impairment in redox balance and oxidative damage to liver macromolecules and CO. MeHg upregulated the AKT/GSK3β/mTOR pathway and the phosphorylated form of the Tau protein. In addition, we found a reduction in NeuN and GFAP immunocontent. These results represent the first approach to the hepatotoxic and neural effects of foetal and adult MeHg exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Tais da Rosa-Silva
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Alana Castro Panzenhagen
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Victória Schmidtt
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Alexsander Alves Teixeira
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Pedro Espitia-Pérez
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Laboratorio de Investigación Biomédica y Biología Molecular, Universidad del Sinú, Córdoba, Colombia
| | - Álvaro de Oliveira Franco
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Moara Mingori
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - José F Torres-Ávila
- Unit for Development and Innovation in Genetics and Molecular Biology, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
| | - Carlos Eduardo Schnorr
- Departamento de Civil y Ambiental, Programa de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
| | - Paolla Rissi Silva Hermann
- Instituto de Química, Sala 103, Campus do Vale, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Diogo Pompéu Moraes
- Instituto de Química, Sala 103, Campus do Vale, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Roberto Farina Almeida
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - José Cláudio Fonseca Moreira
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
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20
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Albuquerque FEA, Minervino AHH, Miranda M, Herrero-Latorre C, Barrêto Júnior RA, Oliveira FLC, Dias SR, Ortolani EL, López-Alonso M. Toxic and essential trace element concentrations in the freshwater shrimp Macrobrachium amazonicum in the Lower Amazon, Brazil. J Food Compost Anal 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jfca.2019.103361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Alcala-Orozco M, Caballero-Gallardo K, Olivero-Verbel J. Mercury exposure assessment in indigenous communities from Tarapaca village, Cotuhe and Putumayo Rivers, Colombian Amazon. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 26:36458-36467. [PMID: 31728948 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-06620-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a complex and multifaceted global pollutant. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining activities are largely responsible for Hg contamination in developing countries, in many cases impacting areas of high biodiversity such as the Amazon. The aim of the study was to establish Hg exposure in indigenous citizens from the Tarapaca village, Cotuhe and Putumayo Rivers, at the Colombian Amazon. Total Hg (T-Hg) concentrations were measured employing a DMA-80 Hg analyzer. For that purpose, 190 hair samples were taken from volunteers living in different communities of Tarapaca. The overall mean T-Hg level for all samples was 10.6 ± 0.4 μg/g, with values ranging from 0.61 to 31.1 μg/g. The mean T-Hg level decreased in the order Puerto Huila > Puerto Ticuna > Ventura > Nueva Union > Buenos Aires > Santa Lucia > Puerto Nuevo > Caña Brava > Pupuña. Based on recommendations from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), 99.5% of the samples exceeded the maximum level of 1.0 μg/g. Hg content in human hair was significantly associated with fish consumption (ρ = 0.253; p < 0.001). According to the health survey, at least 24.7% of the volunteers manifested some signs and symptoms of Hg poisoning. In short, these data support the extensive Hg exposure in the environment of the Colombian Amazon, a process that could be impacting the quality of life of its vulnerable indigenous groups. Immediate actions must be taken by competent authorities to protect these communities from Hg poisoning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Alcala-Orozco
- Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zaragocilla Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, 130015, Colombia
| | - Karina Caballero-Gallardo
- Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zaragocilla Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, 130015, Colombia
| | - Jesus Olivero-Verbel
- Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zaragocilla Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, 130015, Colombia.
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22
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Lino AS, Kasper D, Guida YS, Thomaz JR, Malm O. Total and methyl mercury distribution in water, sediment, plankton and fish along the Tapajós River basin in the Brazilian Amazon. CHEMOSPHERE 2019; 235:690-700. [PMID: 31279119 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.06.212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is known as one of the major contaminants in the Amazon. The Tapajós River basin, in the Brazilian Amazon, has diverse anthropogenic activities which increase Hg concentrations in the aquatic ecosystem. Moreover, high concentrations of Hg are naturally found in this basin. Distribution of total (THg) and methyl (MeHg) mercury were assessed in unfiltered water (n = 47), suspended particulate matter (SPM, n = 30), superficial sediment (BS, n = 29), plankton (n = 28) and fishes (n = 129) from the Tapajós River basin. Suspended particles were the main carrier of Hg in the water column and sediment. Increased erosion, prompted by anthropic activities, led to higher Hg concentrations in water from the most impacted areas. Hg is transported mainly in particulate matter; thus, anthropic disturbances influence Hg concentrations downstream. Limnological parameters such as organic matter content influenced MeHg concentrations in water, plankton and sediment of the Tapajós basin. Hg methylation in total plankton was more efficient in lakes (13-66%) than in Tapajós River main channel (2-14%). Biotic and abiotic factors interact in a complex way in the aquatic ecosystem, making Hg concentrations to vary in food web. Gold mining and deforestation probably increase Hg levels in the Tapajós basin. Thus, in addition to Hg monitoring, prevention and remediation efforts should be focused on soil and sediment erosion control.
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Affiliation(s)
- A S Lino
- Laboratório de Radioisótopos Eduardo Penna-Franca, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - D Kasper
- Laboratório de Traçadores em Ciências Ambientais Wolfgang Christian Pfeiffer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Y S Guida
- Laboratório de Radioisótopos Eduardo Penna-Franca, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - J R Thomaz
- Laboratório de Radioisótopos Eduardo Penna-Franca, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - O Malm
- Laboratório de Radioisótopos Eduardo Penna-Franca, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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23
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Espitia-Pérez P, Albino SM, da Rosa HT, Silveira AK, Espitia-Pérez L, Brango H, Moraes DP, Hermann PRS, Mingori M, Barreto F, Kunzler A, Gelain DP, Schnorr CE, Moreira JCF. Effects of methylmercury and retinol palmitate co-administration in rats during pregnancy and breastfeeding: Metabolic and redox parameters in dams and their offspring. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2018; 162:603-615. [PMID: 30031321 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.06.093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Ubiquitous low-dose methylmercury (MeHg) exposure through an increased fish consumption represents a global public health problem, especially among pregnant women. A plethora of micronutrients presented in fish affects MeHg uptake/distribution, but limited data is available. Vitamin A (VitA), another fish micronutrient is used in nutritional supplementation, especially during pregnancy. However, there is no information about the health effects arising from their combined exposure. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effects of both MeHg and retinyl palmitate administered on pregnant and lactating rats in metabolic and redox parameters from dams and their offspring. Thirty Wistar female rats were orally supplemented with MeHg (0,5 mg/kg/day) and retinyl palmitate (7500 µg RAE/kg/day) via gavage, either individually or in combination from the gestational day 0 to weaning. For dams (150 days old) and their offspring (31 days old), glycogen accumulation (hepatic and cardiac) and retinoid contents (plasma and liver) were analyzed. Hg deposition in liver tissue was quantified. Redox parameters (liver, kidney, and heart) were evaluated for both animals. Cytogenetic damage was analyzed with micronucleus test. Our results showed no general toxic or metabolic alterations in dams and their offspring by MeHg-VitA co-administration during pregnancy and lactation. However, increased lipoperoxidation in maternal liver and a disrupted pro-oxidant response in the heart of male pups was encountered, with apparently no particular effects in the antioxidant response in female offspring. GST activity in dam kidney was altered leading to possible redox disruption of this tissue with no alterations in offspring. Finally, the genomic damage was exacerbated in both male and female pups. In conclusion, low-dose MeHg exposure and retinyl palmitate supplementation during gestation and lactation produced a potentiated pro-oxidant effect, which was tissue-specific. Although this is a pre-clinical approach, we recommend precaution for pregnant women regarding food consumption, and we encourage more epidemiological studies to assess possible modulations effects of MeHg-VitA co-administration at safe or inadvertently used doses in humans, which may be related to specific pathologies in mothers and their children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Espitia-Pérez
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2600, Anexo Depto. Bioquímica, Lab 32, CEP 90035-003 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Suelen Marin Albino
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2600, Anexo Depto. Bioquímica, Lab 32, CEP 90035-003 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Helen Tais da Rosa
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2600, Anexo Depto. Bioquímica, Lab 32, CEP 90035-003 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Kleber Silveira
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2600, Anexo Depto. Bioquímica, Lab 32, CEP 90035-003 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Lyda Espitia-Pérez
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Laboratorio de Investigación Biomédica y Biología Molecular, Universidad del Sinú, Calle 38 Carrera 1W, Barrio Juan XXIII, Montería, Córdoba, Colombia
| | - Hugo Brango
- Instituto de Matemática e Estatística, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Diogo Pompéu Moraes
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Bento Gonçalves 9500, CEP 91501-970 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Paolla Rissi Silva Hermann
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Bento Gonçalves 9500, CEP 91501-970 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Moara Mingori
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2600, Anexo Depto. Bioquímica, Lab 32, CEP 90035-003 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Fabiano Barreto
- Laboratório de Análise de Resíduos de Pesticidas e Medicamentos Veterinários (RPM), Laboratório Nacional Agropecuário RS, Estrada da Ponta Grossa 3036, CEP: 91780-580 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Alice Kunzler
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2600, Anexo Depto. Bioquímica, Lab 32, CEP 90035-003 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Daniel Pens Gelain
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2600, Anexo Depto. Bioquímica, Lab 32, CEP 90035-003 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Carlos Eduardo Schnorr
- Departamento de Civil y Ambiental, Programa de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad de la Costa, Calle 58 #55- 66, Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
| | - José Cláudio Fonseca Moreira
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2600, Anexo Depto. Bioquímica, Lab 32, CEP 90035-003 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
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Arrifano GPF, Alvarez-Leite JI, Souza-Monteiro JR, Augusto-Oliveira M, Paraense R, Macchi BM, Pinto A, Oriá RB, do Nascimento JLM, Crespo-Lopez ME. In the Heart of the Amazon: Noncommunicable Diseases and Apolipoprotein E4 Genotype in the Riverine Population. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:E1957. [PMID: 30205523 PMCID: PMC6165059 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15091957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The Amazon River basin is the largest tropical forest in the world. Most of the Amazon belongs to Brazil, a developing country that currently faces huge challenges related to the consolidation of its universal healthcare system. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death in Brazil, accounting for 74% of all deaths, and NCDs are probably underestimated in Amazonian population because of their geographical isolation and the precariousness of riverine communities. Important risk factors, such as genetic susceptibility, remain undetermined in the riverine population. This study performed fasting blood sugar (FBS) and blood pressure measurements and investigated the presence of the ε4 allele of apolipoprotein E (APOE4) to determine the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and the genetic risk of NCDs. FBS and APOE4 were measured in blood samples from 763 participants using spectrometry and real-time PCR; 67.5% showed altered measurements, and 57.9% had never been diagnosed or treated. Altered FBS was found in 28.3% of the participants, hypertension in 57.6% and APOE4 in 32.0%. The health profile of the riverine population appears to differ from that of urban population in the Amazon. Additional risk factors for NCDs, such as environmental contamination and nutritional transition, may contribute more than increased genetic susceptibility to the prevalence of altered FBS and hypertension. Our results will help guide the development of preventive strategies and governmental actions for more effective management of NCDs in the Amazon area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela P F Arrifano
- Laboratório de Farmacologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil.
| | - Jacqueline I Alvarez-Leite
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-90, Brazil.
| | - José Rogério Souza-Monteiro
- Laboratório de Farmacologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil.
| | - Marcus Augusto-Oliveira
- Laboratório de Investigações em Neurodegeneração e Infecção (Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto), Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66063-023, Brazil.
| | - Ricardo Paraense
- Laboratório de Farmacologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil.
| | - Barbarella M Macchi
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil.
| | - André Pinto
- Laboratório de Análises Clínicas, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil.
| | - Reinaldo B Oriá
- Laboratório da Biologia da Cicatrização, Ontogenia e Nutrição de Tecidos, Departamento de Morfologia e Instituto de Biomedicina, Escola de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza 60430-160, Brazil.
| | - José Luiz Martins do Nascimento
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil.
| | - Maria Elena Crespo-Lopez
- Laboratório de Farmacologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil.
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Moreira LJD, da Silva EB, Fontes MPF, Liu X, Ma LQ. Speciation, bioaccessibility and potential risk of chromium in Amazon forest soils. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2018; 239:384-391. [PMID: 29674217 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Even though the Amazon region is widely studied, there is still a gap regarding Cr exposure and its risk to human health. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine Cr concentrations in seven chemical fractions and 6 particle sizes in Amazon soils, 2) quantify hexavalent Cr (CrVI) concentrations using an alkaline extraction, 3) determine the oral and lung bioaccessible Cr, and 4) assess Cr exposure risks based on total and bioaccessible Cr in soils. The total Cr in both A (0-20 cm) and B (80-100 cm) horizons was high at 2346 and 1864 mg kg-1. However, sequential extraction indicated that available Cr fraction was low compared to total Cr, with Cr in the residual fraction being the highest (74-76%). There was little difference in total Cr concentrations among particle sizes. Hexavalent Cr concentration was also low, averaging 0.72 and 2.05 mg kg-1 in A and B horizon. In addition, both gastrointestinal (21-22 mg kg-1) and lung (0.95-1.25 mg kg-1) bioaccessible Cr were low (<1.2%). The low bioavailability of soil Cr and its uniform distribution in different particle sizes indicated that Cr was probably of geogenic origin. Exposure based on total Cr resulted in daily intake > the oral reference dose for children, but not when using CrVI or bioaccessible Cr. The data indicated that it is important to consider both Cr speciation and bioaccessibility when evaluating risk from Cr in Amazon soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo J D Moreira
- Research Center for Soil Contamination and Remediation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224, China; Federal Rural University of Amazon, C. P 3017, Parauapebas, Pará, Brazil.
| | - Evandro B da Silva
- Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
| | - Maurício P F Fontes
- Department of Soils, Federal University of Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Xue Liu
- Research Center for Soil Contamination and Remediation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224, China.
| | - Lena Q Ma
- Research Center for Soil Contamination and Remediation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224, China; Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
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26
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Lino AS, Kasper D, Guida YS, Thomaz JR, Malm O. Mercury and selenium in fishes from the Tapajós River in the Brazilian Amazon: An evaluation of human exposure. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2018; 48:196-201. [PMID: 29773181 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2018.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
This work aimed to evaluate associated risks of fish consumption to human health, concerning mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) concentrations in fish species largely consumed in the Tapajós River basin in the Brazilian Amazon. Total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg) and Se concentrations were measured in 129 fish specimens from four sites of the Tapajós River basin. Estimated daily intake (EDI) of Hg and Se were reported regarding fish consumption. EDI were compared with the reference value of provisional tolerable daily intake proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Se:Hg ratios and selenium health benefit values (Se HBVs) seem to offer a more comprehensive fish safety model. THg concentrations in fishes ranged from 0.03 to 1.51 μg g-1 of wet weight (w.w.) and MeHg concentrations ranged from 0.02 to 1.44 μg g-1 (w.w.). 80% of the samples were below the value of Hg recommended by the WHO for human consumption (0.5 μg g-1 w.w.). However, Hg EDI exceeded the dose suggested by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (0.1 μg kg-1 day-1), due to the large level of fish consumption in that area. Se concentrations in fishes ranged from 0.02 to 0.44 μg g-1 w.w. An inverse pattern was observed between Hg and Se concentrations in the trophic chain (highest levels of Se in the lowest trophic levels). The molar ratio Se:Hg and Se HBVs were higher in iliophagous and herbivorous fishes, which is noteworthy to reduce toxic effects of Hg contamination. For planktivores, the content of Se and Hg was almost equimolar. Carnivorous fishes - with the exception of Hemisorubim platyrhynchos and Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum -, showed Se:Hg ratios <1. Thus, they do not act as a favorable source of Se in the diet. Therefore, reduced intake of carnivorous fishes with preferential consumption of iliophages, herbivores and, to some extent, even planktivores should be promoted as part of a healthier diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- A S Lino
- Programa de Biofísica Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - D Kasper
- Laboratório de Radioisótopos Eduardo Penna-Franca, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Y S Guida
- Laboratório de Radioisótopos Eduardo Penna-Franca, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - J R Thomaz
- Laboratório de Radioisótopos Eduardo Penna-Franca, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - O Malm
- Laboratório de Radioisótopos Eduardo Penna-Franca, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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27
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Gutiérrez-Mosquera H, Sujitha SB, Jonathan MP, Sarkar SK, Medina-Mosquera F, Ayala-Mosquera H, Morales-Mira G, Arreola-Mendoza L. Mercury levels in human population from a mining district in Western Colombia. J Environ Sci (China) 2018; 68:83-90. [PMID: 29908748 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2017.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A biomonitoring study was carried out to examine the adverse impacts of total mercury in the blood (HgB), urine (HgU) and human scalp hair (HgH) on the residents of a mining district in Colombia. Representative biological samples (scalp hair, urine and blood) were collected from volunteered participants (n=63) to estimate the exposure levels of THg using a Direct mercury analyzer. The geometric mean of THg concentrations in the hair, urine and blood of males were 15.98μg/g, 23.89μg/L and 11.29μg/L respectively, whereas the females presented values of 8.55μg/g, 5.37μg/L and 8.80μg/L. Chronic urinary Hg (HgU) levels observed in male workers (32.53μg/L) are attributed to their long termed exposures to inorganic and metallic mercury from gold panning activities. On an average, the levels of THg are increasing from blood (10.05μg/L) to hair (12.27μg/g) to urine (14.63μg/L). Significant positive correlation was found between hair and blood urinary levels in both male and female individuals. Thus the present biomonitoring investigation to evaluate the Hg levels and associated health issues would positively form a framework for further developmental plans and policies in building an ecofriendly ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Gutiérrez-Mosquera
- Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó, Carrera 22 No.18B-10, Quibdó, Colombia; Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Medellín, Carrera 87 No. 30-65, Medellín, Colombia
| | - S B Sujitha
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo (CIIEMAD), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Calle 30 de junio de 1520, Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, C.P.07340 Ciudad de México, México
| | - M P Jonathan
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo (CIIEMAD), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Calle 30 de junio de 1520, Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, C.P.07340 Ciudad de México, México.
| | - S K Sarkar
- Department of Marine Science, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Calcutta 700 019, India
| | - Fairy Medina-Mosquera
- Instituto de Investigaciones Ambientales del Pacífico (IIAP), Carrera 6 No. 37-39, Quibdó, Colombia
| | - Helcias Ayala-Mosquera
- Instituto de Investigaciones Ambientales del Pacífico (IIAP), Carrera 6 No. 37-39, Quibdó, Colombia
| | - Gladis Morales-Mira
- Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Medellín, Carrera 87 No. 30-65, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Laura Arreola-Mendoza
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo (CIIEMAD), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Calle 30 de junio de 1520, Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, C.P.07340 Ciudad de México, México
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28
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Vega CM, Orellana JDY, Oliveira MW, Hacon SS, Basta PC. Human Mercury Exposure in Yanomami Indigenous Villages from the Brazilian Amazon. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:E1051. [PMID: 29789499 PMCID: PMC6028914 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15061051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Revised: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In the Brazilian Amazon, where the majority of Yanomami villages are settled, mercury (Hg) exposure due to artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has been reported since the 1980s. This study assessed mercury exposure in the Yanomami reserve and whether the level of contamination was related to the ASGM geographical location. It was conducted using a cross-sectional study of 19 villages. Direct interviews were performed and hair samples were used as a bioindicator of Hg exposure. The Prevalence-Ratio (PR) was estimated as an indicator of association between ASGM geographical locations and human exposure to mercury. Mercury levels (239 hair samples) ranged between 0.4 and 22.1 μg·g-1 and presented substantial differences amongst the villages. In the Waikas-Aracaça region, where current ASGM was reported, we observed the highest Hg concentrations (median = 15.5 μg·g-1). Almost all participants presented with hair-Hg levels >6 μg·g-1 (prevalence = 92.3%). In the Paapiu region, we observed the lowest concentrations (median = 3.2 μg·g-1; prevalence = 6.7%). Our findings showed that the Waikas Ye'kuana and Waikas Aracaca villages presented with 4.4 (PR = 4.4; Confidence Interval (CI) 95% = 2.2⁻9.0) and 14.0 (PR = 14.0; CI 95% = 7.9⁻24.9) times higher prevalence of hair-Hg concentration, respectively, compared with Paapiu. Considering seasonal variation of Hg-exposure, the lowest concentrations were observed during the wet season (June⁻September) and the highest in the dry season (December⁻April). Our study suggests that there is an association between mercury exposure and ASGM geographical locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia M Vega
- Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation, Wake Forest University, 1834 Wake Forest Road P.O. Box 7306, Winston-Salem, NC 27106, USA.
| | - Jesem D Y Orellana
- Instituto Leônidas e Maria Deane, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Teresina, 476, Adrianópolis, Manaus CEP: 69057-070, Brazil.
| | - Marcos W Oliveira
- Instituto Socioambiental-ISA, Av. Higienópolis, 901, Higienópolis, São Paulo CEP: 01238-001, Brazil.
| | - Sandra S Hacon
- Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sérgio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro CEP: 21041-210, Brazil.
| | - Paulo C Basta
- Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sérgio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro CEP: 21041-210, Brazil.
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29
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O'Callaghan-Gordo C, Flores JA, Lizárraga P, Okamoto T, Papoulias DM, Barclay F, Orta-Martínez M, Kogevinas M, Astete J. Oil extraction in the Amazon basin and exposure to metals in indigenous populations. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2018; 162:226-230. [PMID: 29407757 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Most oil extraction areas in the Peruvian Amazon are within indigenous territories. Poor environmental practices have exposed the indigenous population to metals. We conducted a survey in two indigenous Kukama communities to assess body burdens of metals after the occurrence of two major oil spills in 2014. Urine levels above those recommended by the Peruvian Ministry of Health were observed in 50% and 17% of the study population for mercury and cadmium, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina O'Callaghan-Gordo
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Juan A Flores
- National Institute of Health - Centro Nacional de Salud ocupacional y Protección del Ambiente para la Salud (CENSOPAS), Lima, Peru
| | - Pilar Lizárraga
- National Institute of Health - Centro Nacional de Salud ocupacional y Protección del Ambiente para la Salud (CENSOPAS), Lima, Peru
| | - Tami Okamoto
- Pontificia Unviersidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru
| | | | - Federica Barclay
- Centro de políticas Públicas y Derechos Humanos - Perú Equidad, Lima, Peru
| | - Martí Orta-Martínez
- International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Hague, The Netherlands; Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambiental, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Instituto de Geografía, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Manolis Kogevinas
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain; Municipal Institute of Medical Research (IMIM-Hospital del Mar), Barcelona, Spain
| | - John Astete
- National Institute of Health - Centro Nacional de Salud ocupacional y Protección del Ambiente para la Salud (CENSOPAS), Lima, Peru
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Hair as a Biomarker of Long Term Mercury Exposure in Brazilian Amazon: A Systematic Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018. [PMID: 29534534 PMCID: PMC5877045 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15030500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have assessed mercury (Hg) exposure in the Amazonian population. This article performs a literature search of the studies that used hair as a biomarker of Hg exposure in the Brazilian Amazonian population. The search covered the period from 1996 to 2016 and included articles which matched the following criteria: (1) articles related to Hg exposure into Brazilian Amazon; (2) articles that used hair as a biomarker of Hg exposure; (3) articles that used analytical tools to measure the Hg content on hair and (4) articles that presented arithmetic mean and/or minimum and maximum values of Hg. 36 studies were selected. The findings show that most of the studies were performed along margins of important rivers, such as Negro, Tapajós and Madeira. All the population presented mean levels of Hg on hair above 6 µg g-1 and general population, adults, not determined and men presented levels of Hg on hair above 10 µg g-1. The results show that most of the studies were performed by Brazilian institutions/researchers and the majority was performed in the State of Pará. The present study identified that Amazonian population has long-term been exposed to Hg. In terms of future perspectives, this study suggests the implementation of a strategic plan for environmental health surveillance in the region in order to promote health and benefit Amazonian population.
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31
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Costa Junior JMF, Silva CIMD, Lima AADS, Rodrigues Júnior D, Silveira LCDL, Souza GDS, Pinheiro MDCN. Teores de mercúrio em cabelo e consumo de pescado de comunidades ribeirinhas na Amazônia brasileira, região do Tapajós. CIENCIA & SAUDE COLETIVA 2018. [DOI: 10.1590/1413-81232018233.09492016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Resumo Comunidades ribeirinhas estão expostas ao mercúrio devido à dieta composta por elevada ingestão de peixes. Com o objetivo de avaliar os níveis de exposição na região do Tapajós, identificando também a frequência de ingestão de pescado, realizou-se um estudo em adultos residentes nas comunidades ribeirinhas do município de Itaituba/PA. Foram coletadas amostras de cabelo para a determinação de mercúrio total e dados de frequência semanal de ingestão de peixes. A concentração média de mercúrio total variou de 7,25µg/g (em 2013) para 10,80µg/g (em 2014), não sendo observada diferença significativa (p = 0,1436). Quanto à frequência de ingestão de pescado, a maioria dos indivíduos avaliados apresentou um alto consumo, tanto em 2013 quanto em 2014. Índices elevados de mercúrio total foram observados somente naqueles com alto consumo de pescado em ambos anos. Ressalta-se a importância da continuação do monitoramento dos níveis de exposição em humanos, fundamentando-se nos índices de tolerância de 6µg/g preconizado pela Organização Mundial de Saúde, e na investigação quanto ao consumo de peixes para que as estratégias de controle e prevenção sejam melhoradas.
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32
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Jose A, Ray JG. Toxic heavy metals in human blood in relation to certain food and environmental samples in Kerala, South India. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 25:7946-7953. [PMID: 29302906 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-1112-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Toxic heavy metals such as arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) are systemic toxicants that are hazardous to human health. However, as these elements are increasing in the environment due to fast urbanization, industrialization, and chemicalized agricultural activities, accumulation of the same in human body anywhere in the world is quite interesting to global assessment of environment quality. In this connection, random examination of blood samples of human population in Kerala, South India, was carried out to assess the threat of heavy metal contamination to humans in this part of the globe, especially in relation to the amount of such metals in food and other environmental samples. Except pure vegetarians, people of Kerala consume rice as the staple food with a lot of fish. Therefore, the amount of these three heavy metals in drinking water, fish, rice, and paddy soils was done. Heavy metals in the blood were examined in relation to age, gender, and dietary habits such as frequency of fish eating or vegetarianism. Influence of dental amalgam fillings on blood mercury levels was also analyzed. Quantitative assessment of metals in samples was done by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The levels of arsenic, lead, and mercury were found well below the reference values, though diet seemed to pull them up as the amount of metals in blood showed significant differences between vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Evidence to the influence of dental amalgam fillings on blood mercury levels could not be established with the present samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anitha Jose
- Laboratory of Ecology & Eco technology, School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India
- Department of Zoology, Assumption College, Changanacherry, Kottayam, Kerala, India
| | - Joseph George Ray
- School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India.
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33
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Cerbino MR, Vieira JCS, Braga CP, Oliveira G, Padilha IF, Silva TM, Zara LF, Silva NJ, Padilha PM. Metalloproteomics Approach to Analyze Mercury in Breast Milk and Hair Samples of Lactating Women in Communities of the Amazon Basin, Brazil. Biol Trace Elem Res 2018; 181:216-226. [PMID: 28547667 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-017-1057-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Mercury is a potentially toxic element that is present in the environment of the Brazilian Amazon and is responsible for adverse health effects in humans. This study sought to assess possible protein biomarkers of mercury exposure in breast milk samples from lactating women in the Madeira and Negro Rivers in the Brazilian Amazon. The mercury content of hair samples of lactating women was determined, and the proteome of breast milk samples was obtained using two-dimensional electrophoresis after protein precipitation with acetone. Mercury measurements of protein spots obtained via protein fractionation were performed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS), and it was observed that mercury is linked to proteins with molecular masses in the range of 14-26 kDa. The total mercury concentration was also determined by GFAAS in unprocessed milk, lyophilized milk, and protein pellets, with the purpose of determining the mercury mass balance in relation to the concentration of this element in milk and pellets. Approximately 85 to 97% of mercury present in the lyophilized milk from samples of lactating women of the Madeira River is bound in the protein fraction. From lactating women of the Negro River, approximately 49% of the total mercury is bound in the protein fraction, and a difference of 51% is bound in the lipid fraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- M R Cerbino
- Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás (PUC), Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | | | - C P Braga
- Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil
| | - G Oliveira
- Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil
| | - I F Padilha
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - T M Silva
- College of Planaltina, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Federal District, Brazil
| | - L F Zara
- College of Planaltina, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Federal District, Brazil
| | - N J Silva
- Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás (PUC), Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - P M Padilha
- Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil
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34
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Salazar-Camacho C, Salas-Moreno M, Marrugo-Madrid S, Marrugo-Negrete J, Díez S. Dietary human exposure to mercury in two artisanal small-scale gold mining communities of northwestern Colombia. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2017; 107:47-54. [PMID: 28658634 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Revised: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the largest anthropogenic source of mercury pollution worldwide, posing a grave threat to human health. The present study identifies current levels of mercury in the human population from mining areas of the Chocó Department, Colombia, through total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) measurements in human hair. Mercury exposure of the local population was assessed in two towns affected by ASGM and was related to different variables of interest. Concentrations of THg in human hair ranged from 0.06 to 17.54ppm and the mean value for the subjects under study was 2.48ppm. Men had significantly higher levels than women in both towns (3.29ppm vs. 0.77ppm). Fish consumption was related to a marked increase of THg in hair, with mean values close to five times higher in frequent fish consumers (5-7 times/week) than in non-fish consumers (4.80ppm vs. 0.90ppm). A multiple linear regression model was fitted successfully (R=0.671) and reveals that gender, fish consumption and location of residence were significant indicators of Hg levels in hair, while no significant relationship was found for age. Approximately 60% of subjects tested had THg levels that exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reference dose of 1.0ppm, while 25% surpassed that of the World Health Organization (2.2ppm).
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Salazar-Camacho
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Biology, Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó, A.A. 292 Quibdó, Colombia
| | - Manuel Salas-Moreno
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Biology, Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó, A.A. 292 Quibdó, Colombia
| | - Siday Marrugo-Madrid
- University of Córdoba, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Water, Applied and Environmental Chemistry Group, Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Management, Montería, Colombia
| | - José Marrugo-Negrete
- University of Córdoba, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Water, Applied and Environmental Chemistry Group, Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Management, Montería, Colombia.
| | - Sergi Díez
- Environmental Chemistry Department, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDÆA-CSIC, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain.
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dos Santos M, da Silva Júnior FMR, Muccillo-Baisch AL. Selenium content of Brazilian foods: A review of the literature values. J Food Compost Anal 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jfca.2017.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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de Souza ES, Texeira RA, da Costa HSC, Oliveira FJ, Melo LCA, do Carmo Freitas Faial K, Fernandes AR. Assessment of risk to human health from simultaneous exposure to multiple contaminants in an artisanal gold mine in Serra Pelada, Pará, Brazil. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 576:683-695. [PMID: 27810755 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.10.133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Revised: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Contamination of soil, water and plants caused by gold mining is of great societal concern because of the risk of environmental pollution and risk to human health. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the risk to human health from ingestion of As, Ba, Co, Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Se and Ni present in soil, sterile and mineralized waste, and water and plants at a gold mine in Serra Pelada, Pará, Brazil. Samples of soil, sterile and mineralized waste, water and plants were collected around an artisanal gold mine located in Serra Pelada. The mean concentrations of potentially toxic elements in the soil were higher than the soil quality reference values as defined in the legislation, which may be attributeable to past mining activities. Water from the area close to the mine exhibited As, Ba and Pb concentrations exceeding the reference values established by the World Health Organization, deemed unfit for human consumption. Plants exhibited high Pb concentrations, representing a food safety risk to the population. The mean hazard index (HI) values were below the acceptable limit (1.0) established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, although the highest HI values observed for adults and children were higher than the respective acceptable limits. Environmental contamination and risk to human health were heterogeneous in the surroundings of the mine. Mitigation strategies need to be adopted to decrease the risks of contamination to the environment and to the local population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edna Santos de Souza
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Federal Rural University of Amazon (ICA-UFRA), C. P. 917, Belém 66077-530, Pará, Brazil.
| | - Renato Alves Texeira
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Federal Rural University of Amazon (ICA-UFRA), C. P. 917, Belém 66077-530, Pará, Brazil.
| | | | - Fábio Júnior Oliveira
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Federal Rural University of Amazon (ICA-UFRA), C. P. 917, Belém 66077-530, Pará, Brazil.
| | - Leônidas Carrijo Azevedo Melo
- Department of Soil Science, Federal University of Lavras, CP 3037, Campus UFLA, 37200-000 Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | | | - Antonio Rodrigues Fernandes
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Federal Rural University of Amazon (ICA-UFRA), C. P. 917, Belém 66077-530, Pará, Brazil.
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Jeevanaraj P, Hashim Z, Elias SM, Aris AZ. Mercury accumulation in marine fish most favoured by Malaysian women, the predictors and the potential health risk. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2016; 23:23714-23729. [PMID: 27619374 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7402-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We identified marine fish species most preferred by women at reproductive age in Selangor, Malaysia, mercury concentrations in the fish muscles, factors predicting mercury accumulation and the potential health risk. Nineteen most preferred marine fish species were purchased (n = 175) from selected fisherman's and wholesale market. Length, weight, habitat, feeding habit and trophic level were recognised. Edible muscles were filleted, dried at 80 °C, ground on an agate mortar and digested in Multiwave 3000 using HNO3 and H2O2. Total mercury was quantified using VP90 cold vapour system with N2 carrier gas. Certified reference material DORM-4 was used to validate the results. Fish species were classified as demersal (7) and pelagic (12) or predators (11), zoo benthos (6) and planktivorous (2). Length, weight and trophic level ranged from 10.5 to 75.0 cm, 0.01 to 2.50 kg and 2.5 to 4.5, respectively. Geometric mean of total mercury ranged from 0.21 to 0.50 mg/kg; maximum in golden snapper (0.90 mg/kg). Only 9 % of the samples exceeded the JECFA recommendation. Multiple linear regression found demersal, high trophic (≥4.0) and heavier fishes to accumulate more mercury in muscles (R 2 = 27.3 %), controlling for all other factors. About 47 % of the fish samples contributed to mercury intake above the provisional tolerable level (45 μg/day). While only a small portion exceeded the JECFA fish Hg guideline, the concentration reported may be alarming for heavy consumers. Attention should be given in risk management to avoid demersal and high trophic fish, predominantly heavier ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pravina Jeevanaraj
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia.
| | - Zailina Hashim
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia.
| | - Saliza Mohd Elias
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Ahmad Zaharin Aris
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
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Krisnayanti BD, Vassura I, Asmara MD, Ekawanti A, Suheri H. Analysis of Artisanal Small-scale Gold Mining Sector in West Sumbawa Regency, Indonesia. J Health Pollut 2016; 6:26-33. [PMID: 30524802 PMCID: PMC6221504 DOI: 10.5696/2156-9614-6.12.26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The high value of gold reserves in West Sumbawa Regency (WSR) and West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia has resulted in an increase in small-scale gold mining activity in this area. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is an attractive alternative livelihood for rural workers because it has good potential to improve the wealth of a community. Miners need very little training to mine gold and the transition from traditional farming or fishing is easy to make. However, the key environmental consequence of ASGM in West Sumbawa is the extensive use of mercury and its impact on human health. OBJECTIVES The ASGM activity in WSR is quite recent when compared to other ASGM activity in Indonesia. The current study was conducted to better understand the lifestyle, extent of mercury exposure, and the health of people living in WSR, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. METHODS The present study was designed as a purposive field sampling study conducted in WSR, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. The subjects were miners and families from three different sites within the WSR: individuals directly exposed to mercury, indirectly exposed individuals and non-exposed individuals. Hair mercury analysis was done with all subjects. Health questionnaires, physical examinations and socio-economic surveys were conducted with exposed subjects. RESULTS The ASGM sector in the WSR consists of a high number of migrant workers who have a great economic impact on the local area, high mercury use, a great deal of illegal mercury trading, and a high mercury concentration (>13 mg/kg) in their hair. The results suggest that ASGM activities affect the health of exposed and indirectly exposed individuals. CONCLUSIONS The current scale of ASGM activity in the WSR is predicted to rise. ASGM activities in the WSR is an important challenge that needs to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ivano Vassura
- Department of Industrial Chemistry, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Maywin Dwi Asmara
- Graduate Student, Agriculture Faculty, University of Mataram, Indonesia
| | | | - Herman Suheri
- Agriculture Faculty, University of Mataram, Indonesia
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Olivero-Verbel J, Carranza-Lopez L, Caballero-Gallardo K, Ripoll-Arboleda A, Muñoz-Sosa D. Human exposure and risk assessment associated with mercury pollution in the Caqueta River, Colombian Amazon. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2016; 23:20761-20771. [PMID: 27475435 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7255-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a global contaminant posing severe risks to human health worldwide. The aim of this study was to assess the levels of total Hg (T-Hg) in human hair and fish in the Caqueta River, at the Colombian Amazon, as well as to determine fish consumption-based risks for T-Hg ingestion. T-Hg levels were measured using a direct mercury analyzer. The overall mean T-Hg level in hair for humans in the Caqueta River sample (n = 200) was 17.29 ± 0.61 μg/g (1.2 to 47.0 μg/g). Ninety-four percent of the individuals had hair T-Hg concentrations greater than the WHO threshold level (5 μg/g), and 79 % displayed levels higher than 10 μg/g. Average Hg concentrations in fish varied between 0.10-0.15 μg/g and 0.10-1.60 μg/g, for noncarnivorous and carnivorous species, respectively. Based on the maximum allowable fish consumption rate for adults, most carnivorous species should be avoided in the diet, as their target hazard quotient ranged from 2.96 up to 31.05, representing a risk for Hg-related health problems. In the light of existing evidence for elevated Hg levels in the indigenous population of the Colombian Amazon, carnivorous fish should be restricted as part of the diet, and breastfeeding should be reduced to protect children health. Most importantly, gold mining activities directly on rivers demand immediate attention from the national government to avoid extensive damage on the environment and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesus Olivero-Verbel
- Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Cartagena, Zaragocilla Campus, Cartagena, 130014, Colombia.
| | - Liliana Carranza-Lopez
- Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Cartagena, Zaragocilla Campus, Cartagena, 130014, Colombia
| | - Karina Caballero-Gallardo
- Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Cartagena, Zaragocilla Campus, Cartagena, 130014, Colombia
| | - Adriana Ripoll-Arboleda
- Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Cartagena, Zaragocilla Campus, Cartagena, 130014, Colombia
| | - Diego Muñoz-Sosa
- PNN Yaigojé Apaporis, National Parks of Colombia, Avenida Internacional 4-85, Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia
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Souza-Araujo J, Giarrizzo T, Lima MO, Souza MBG. Mercury and methyl mercury in fishes from Bacajá River (Brazilian Amazon): evidence for bioaccumulation and biomagnification. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2016; 89:249-263. [PMID: 27241551 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
This study assessed total mercury (THg) and methyl mercury (MeHg) concentrations, bioaccumulation and biomagnification of THg through the food web in fishes consumed by indigenous communities of Bacajá River, the largest tributary of the right bank of Xingu River. In total, 496 fish (22 species) were sampled. Nine species had THg concentrations above the limit recommended by the World Health Organisation (0·5 µg g(-1) wet mass), and one exceeded the recommended level for Hg in predatory fishes by Brazilian law (1·0 µg g(-1) ). The average concentration of THg increased significantly with trophic guild (herbivorous to piscivorous) and trophic level, with higher accumulation in fishes with greater total length. Ninety-six per cent of all mercury was methylated. These results suggest that feeding habits determine THg concentrations in fishes and that Hg elimination rate is slow during growth, which allows greater accumulation. These findings show that fishes in the Bacajá River contain high concentrations of THg and MeHg.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Souza-Araujo
- Aquatic Ecology Group, Federal University of Pará, Avenida Perimetral 2651, Terra Firme, 66040170, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - T Giarrizzo
- Aquatic Ecology Group, Federal University of Pará, Avenida Perimetral 2651, Terra Firme, 66040170, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - M O Lima
- Evandro Chagas Institute, Environment Section, Rodovia BR-316, km 7, S/N, Levilândia, 67030000, Ananindeua, PA, Brazil
| | - M B G Souza
- Tractebel Engineering-LEME Engineering, Avenida dos Andradas 3000, Santa Efigênia, 30260070, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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Selenium status in preschool children receiving a Brazil nut–enriched diet. Nutrition 2015; 31:1339-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2015.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Revised: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 05/10/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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