Abstract
AbstractDuring January 2013, a mining spill occurred in the Santa Maria mining region, releasing around 300,000 m3 of tailings on Los Remedios river, which was transported through the San Lorenzo river and finally to El Comedero (EC) dam. Twenty months later, we examined the concentrations of Hg and Se in the muscle, liver, gills, and guts of three fish species (Cyprinus carpio, Oreochromis aureus, Micropterus salmoides) captured in the EC dam to assess the performance of the cleaning operations. A high Se concentration in the liver of all species (carp, 1.2 ± 0.4; tilapia, 3.9 ± 2.1; bass, 3.5 ± 1.1 µg g−1 ww) was consistently observed, while this behavior was only found in the blue tilapia for Hg (0.15 ± 0.11 µg g−1 ww). Tilapia (benthic-detritivorous) exhibited the highest Se concentrations compared to the carp (omnivore) and the largemouth bass (piscivore). In contrast, the largemouth bass had the highest Hg levels in the muscle compared with the other fishes. Such differences could be related to the different metabolism and feeding habits among species. Compared to a tilapia study carried out three months after the mine spill during a mortality event, a decrease was evident in the liver for Se and Hg by 7.2 and 4.7 times, respectively. This reveals that cleaning operations were more efficient for Se and less for Hg, and that a prolonged period was required for the partial recovery of the element levels in fish from sites impacted by mining. Considering the Mexican consumption scenarios for each fish species, it could be concluded that there will be no non-cancer risk by exposure to Hg or Se.
Funder
Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis,Pollution,Environmental Chemistry,General Medicine
Reference63 articles.
1. Adeogun AO, Ibor OR, Omiwole R, Chukwuka AV, Adewale AH, Kumuyi O, Arukwe A (2020) Sex-differences in physiological and oxidative stress responses and heavy metals burden in the black jaw tilapia, Sarotherodon melanotheron from a tropical freshwater dam (Nigeria). Comp Biochem Physiol Part C 229:108676
2. Ali W, Zhang H, Junaid M (2021) Insights into the mechanisms of arsenic-selenium interactions and the associated toxicity in plants, animals, and humans: a critical review. Crit Rev Environ Sci Tech 51(7):704–750
3. Allen P (1994) Distribution of mercury in the soft tissues of the blue tilapia Oreochromis aureus (Staindachner) after acute exposure to mercury (II) chloride. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 53:675–683
4. Beltrán Álvarez R, Sánchez Palacios J, Arroyo Bustos G (2015) Diagnóstico Limnológico de los Principales Embalses de Sinaloa. Centro de Estudios para el Desarrollo Rural Sustentable y la Soberanía Alimentaria, México, pp 231 (In Spanish)
5. Bergés-Tiznado ME, Márquez-Farías F, Lara-Mendoza RE, Torres-Rojas YE, Galván-Magaña F, Bojórquez-Leyva H, Páez-Osuna F (2015) Mercury and selenium in muscle and target organs of scalloped Hammerhead sharks Sphyrna lewini of the SE Gulf of California: dietary intake, molar ratios, loads, and human health risks. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 69:440–452