Concentrations of heavy metals in fish species targeted by anglers in central New Jersey: A pilot study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the concentrations of toxic metals in the edible portion of fish tissue obtained from the Raritan River in New Brunswick, New Jersey (NJ) between April and May of 2014. Species collected for this study included commonly caught fish such as bluegill, small and large mouth bass, brown and rainbow trout, bullhead catfish, and white perch. Samples were filleted and the muscle tissue subsequently dehydrated and then chemically digested. Samples were analyzed using Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Levels of 28 different metals were quantified for each specimen. In general, metal contamination in fish tissues was below the recommended limits. However, lead was found in one sample at a tissue concentration of 88 µg per 225 g fillet, which is above the recommended daily consumption limit as set by the Food and Safety Authority of Ireland. The maximum level found for arsenic was 23 µg per 225 g fillet. The fish samples taken from the Raritan River in New Brunswick, NJ for this study did not contain dangerous levels of most of the metals tested.     

Temperature, growth and dietary effects on fish mercury dynamics in two Ontario lakes

A bioenergetics-based model was used to investigate the effects of temperature, growth and dietary exposure on methylmercury dynamics in walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from two lakes sampled in northwestern Ontario. Orange Lake was smaller, warmer, had slower fish growth and higher mercury concentrations in yearling yellow perch and walleye (three fold difference in 40 cm walleye) than Trout Lake. The model was applied to test the hypothesis that higher water temperatures in Orange Lake increased metabolic needs, food consumption and mercury uptake in fish. The effects of different growths rates in the lakes were also considered. Temperature/metabolic effects and growth effects on internal methylmercury dynamics in walleye and perch were predicted to occur but be of secondary importance. Different dietary exposure to methylmercury was likely the dominant source of variation in fish mercury concentrations between the two lakes.     

Multivessel system for cold-vapor mercury generation determination of mercury in hair and fish

A multivessel system for the determination of mercury (Hg) by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was developed. The performance of the proposed device was tested by determining total Hg in quality-control samples of hair and fishes following acid digestion. Application of the apparatus to the determination of Hg by CV-AAS following alkaline digestion was studied as well. The detection limit obtained for CV-AAS was 0.11 ng/mL and for ICP-AES 1.39 ng/mL. The results show that the system is appropriate to be used in techniques involving cold-vapor generation of Hg.     

汞污染土壤植物修复技术研究进展

汞是一种全球性污染物,汞污染土壤的修复问题,一直倍受各国科学工作者关注,土壤汞污染的植物修复技术是近年来发展起来的新兴技术.其中,汞污染土壤的植物提取技术是最有发展前途的一种汞污染土壤植物修复技术.本文对国内外有关汞污染土壤的植物修复技术进行了系统分析,对有关汞污染土壤的植物修复应用技术,如植物挥发、固化及提取等修复方法进行了评述,探讨了植物修复技术在汞污染土壤修复中的应用前景.加快对汞超积累植物的筛选和植物体对重金属耐性机制的研究,对今后开展汞污染土壤的植物修复工作具有重要的现实意义.     

Distribution and contamination assessment of arsenic and mercury in surface sediments from the intertidal zone of Yantai Sishili Bay,China

Sixty surface sediment samples from the intertidal zone of Yantai Sishili Bay (YSB) have been analyzed for arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) to evaluate their contamination levels and potential ecological risks. Concentrations of As and Hg ranged from 7.01–23.56 and 0.00–0.01 μg g^?1 in the dry season; during the wet season, the corresponding data were 1.44–6.17 and 0.00–0.02 μg g^?1. The geoaccumulation index (I_geo) and potential ecological risk index (E_rⁱ) were used to conduct a pollution assessment. The results demonstrated that the intertidal zone of YSB has good sediment quality and that As and Hg are not likely to cause negative environmental impacts in the region.     

Population-Based Fish Consumption Survey and Probabilistic Methylmercury Risk Assessment

A fish consumption survey was developed and administered by telephone to 820 Wyoming fishing license holders. Survey respondents provided the frequency, species, and quantity of Wyoming-caught and store-bought fish consumed for license holder and household members. Deterministic and probabilistic methylmercury exposure distributions were estimated by multiplying fish consumption by species-specific mercury concentrations for each household member. Risk assessments were conducted for children, women of childbearing age, and the rest of the population by comparing methylmercury exposure distributions to levels of concern. The results indicate that probabilistic risk assessment likely provides a more realistic view of the risk to the study population. The results of this study clearly indicate that: (1) there is no level of fish consumption that is without risk of methylmercury exposure, (2) fish advisories may be warranted for children and women of childbearing age, and (3) that store-bought fish generally contribute more to methylmercury exposure than do Wyoming-caught fish.     

Mercury biotransformations and their potential for remediation of mercury contamination

Bacterially mediated ionic mercury reduction to volatile Hg⁰ was shown to play an important role in the geochemical cycling of mercury in a contaminated freshwater pond. This process, and the degradation of methylmercury, could be stimulated to reduce the concentration of methylmercury that is available for accumulation by biota. A study testing the utility of this approach is described.Abbreviations Hg^R inorganic mercury resistance - Org-Hg organomercury - Org-Hg^R organomercury resistance - SRB sulfate reducing bacteria - Methyl-B12 methylcobalamine     

DNA damage in the kidney tissue cells of the fish Rhamdia quelen after trophic contamination with aluminum sulfate

Even though aluminum is the third most common element present in the earth''s crust, information regarding its toxicity remains scarce. It is known that in certain cases, aluminum is neurotoxic, but its effect in other tissues is unknown. The aim of this work was to analyze the genotoxic potential of aluminum sulfate in kidney tissue of the fish Rhamdia quelen after trophic contamination for 60 days. Sixty four fish were subdivided into the following groups: negative control, 5 mg, 50 mg and 500 mg of aluminum sulfate per kg of fish. Samples of the posterior kidney were taken and prepared to obtain mitotic metaphase, as well as the comet assay. The three types of chromosomal abnormalities (CA) found were categorized as chromatid breaks, decondensation of telomeric region, and early separation of sister chromatids. The tests for CA showed that the 5 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg doses of aluminum sulfate had genotoxic potential. Under these treatments, early separation of the sister chromatids was observed more frequently and decondensation of the telomeric region tended to increase in frequency. We suggest that structural changes in the proteins involved in DNA compaction may have led to the decondensation of the telomeric region, making the DNA susceptible to breaks. Moreover, early separation of the sister chromatids may have occurred due to changes in the mobility of chromosomes or proteins that keep the sister chromatids together. The comet assay confirmed the genotoxicity of aluminum sulfate in the kidney tissue of Rhamdia quelen at the three doses of exposure.     

Selenium and mercury concentrations in some fish species of the Madeira River, Amazon Basin, Brazil

Samples of 7 species of piscivorous, omnivorous, and herbivorous fish caught at 12 different sites on the Madeira River, Amazon Basin, were analyzed for selenium and mercury. Selenium was determined by anodic stripping voltammetry and mercury by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The means for selenium concentrations ranged from 0.49 to 3.11 nmol/g and for mercury from 0.41 to 6.66 nmol/g depending on the fish species. The molar ratios of Hg:Se increased according to the fish trophic level. Piscivorous species had the highest mean ratio (4.0) and herbivorous species the lowest (0.9). There was a positive and statistically significant correlation between selenium and mercury concentrations for the herbivorous species (r = 0.716;p = 0.0088) not seen for omnivororus and piscivorous species (r = -0.2032;p = 0.3407). These findings are significant for the fish-eating population of the Madeira River because the ingestion of mercury would always be in excess of selenium.     

Practical screening of mercury contamination in fish tissue

The increased release of heavy metals over the last century poses an unknown detriment to our ecosystem. Already. poisoning by toxic heavy metals has been documented in a number of species, including man. Estimation of the toxicological context of this release requires screening methods that rapidly process large numbers of samples with minimal cost, effort and ecological impact. We now describe a practical colorimetric kit to quantify mercuric ion in tissue, and demonstrate its application to screen fish. Advantageously, this test can easily be amended for field use and catch-and-release programs.     

Soil mercury accumulation and transference to different crop grains

Mercury contamination in agro-ecosystems is one of the most important environmental issues. Farmland soil mercury accumulation and transference to crops in Changshu City, eastern China, were investigated to identify mercury migration capacity from soil to crops. The mean content of mercury for soil samples slightly increased year after year. The mercury accumulation capacity of rice grown (bioaccumulation factor (BAF) 0.028) in submerged soils under reductive conditions was stronger than that of wheat (BAF 0.0073) in dried soils under oxidative conditions. There were clear relationships between soil mercury with organic matter (OM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and CaCO₃ of soil samples, while apparent negative relationships between Hg in rice grain with OM, CEC, and CaCO₃ of soil existed. No clear association for Hg between crops and soil was found, indicating that mercury in crop grains is mostly affected by other factors besides soil mercury. Also, soil properties and farming patterns affected mercury transference from soil to crop grains and mercury enrichment capacity in crop grains. The results suggested that appropriate selection of crop species and water management are two major possible ways to reduce total mercury accumulation in crop grains grown in mercury-contaminated regions.     

五里河沉积物汞的时空变化规律

研究了历史上受纳氯碱污染的辽宁省葫芦岛市五里河沉积物中总汞、甲基汞25年中的时空变化规律.结果表明,经过25年的变化,在人工治理和自然净化作用下,五里河不同地点沉积物总汞和甲基汞含量总体上呈现明显下降的趋势,甲基汞下降尤为显著;但沉积物中汞含量依然处于较高水平,总汞含量为0.491～26.395 mg·kg-1,平均13.766 mg·kg-1,超过辽宁省土壤汞背景值(0.037 mg·kg-1)371倍,甲基汞含量为0.253～12.079 μg·kg-1,污染严重的断面是污染源附近的化工桥以及下游河口附近的茨山北桥.     

抗重金属汞离子抗体的制备及鉴定

汞、镉、铅等重金属引起的环境污染已在世界范围内造成危害。快速、廉价地监测生境中重金属是减小其对人类及动物危害的先决条件。传统检测方法无法满足高通量的现场检测,建立更快速、更经济的免疫分析法检测汞离子是生产及经济发展的需要。本研究中,报道了汞特异性单克隆抗体的制备与筛选方法和结果。因Hg2+太小以至于不能引起免疫反应,所以用螯合剂(二乙烯三胺五乙酸,DTPA)将金属离子与载体蛋白(匙孔血蓝蛋白,KLH)连接起来。成功合成、鉴定汞复合物抗原后,免疫BALB/c小鼠,通过细胞融合获得了稳定分泌抗体的杂交瘤细胞。用极限稀释法亚克隆,通过ELISA筛选,获得了2株稳定分泌抗汞离子抗体的细胞株(H2H5,H1H8)。小鼠腹腔注射1×107H2H5、H1H8细胞株制备腹水,腹水抗体效价都在1∶51200以上。经鉴定两株杂交瘤均为IgG1亚类,轻链为kappa型且分泌抗体稳定性较好。实验结果为汞离子残留免疫学检测方法的建立提供了技术基础,对提高风险评估工作的效率和质量,保障食品安全有重要现实意义。     

Accumulation of mercury in estuarine food chains

To understand the accumulation of inorganic mercury and methylmercury at the base of the estuarine food chain, phytoplankton (Thalassiosira weissflogii) uptake and mercury speciation experiments were conducted. Complexation of methylmercury as methylmercury-bisulfide decreased the phytoplankton uptake rate while the uptake rate of the methylmercury-cysteine and -thiourea complexes increased with increasing complexation by these ligands. Furthermore, our results indicated that while different ligands influenced inorganic mercury/methylmercury uptake by phytoplankton cells, the ligand complex had no major influence on either where the mercury was sequestered within the phytoplankton cell nor the assimilation efficiency of the mercury by copepods. The assimilation efficiency of inorganic mercury/methylmercury by copepods and amphipods feeding on algal cells was compared and both organisms assimilated methylmercury much more efficiently; the relative assimilation efficiency of methylmercury to inorganic mercury was 2.0 for copepods and 2.8 for amphipods. The relative assimilation is somewhat concentration dependent as experiments showed that as exposure concentration increased, a greater percentage of methylmercury was found in the cytoplasm of phytoplankton cells, resulting in a higher concentration in the copepods feeding on these cells. Additionally, food quality influenced assimilation by invertebrates. During decay of a T. weissflogii culture, which served as food for the invertebrates, copepods were increasingly less able to assimilate the methylmercury from the food, while even at advanced stages of decay, amphipods were able to assimilate mercury from their food to a high degree. Finally, fish feeding on copepods assimilated methylmercury more efficiently than inorganic mercury owing to the larger fraction of methylmercury found in the soft tissues of the copepods.     

Mercury Levels in Barbadian Fisher Folk and Commonly Caught Fish Species

Ocean fish are an important staple food for many Caribbean persons. Some species, however, have high Hg concentration levels and represent a significant source of Hg exposure. This study assessed Hg concentrations in fish species commonly caught and consumed in Barbados as well as Hg exposure of those who work in the fishing industry. Total Hg concentrations were measured in 100 fish samples. Human Hg concentrations were determined from hair snippets taken from 46 fisher folk and fish consumption habits evaluated using interview-administered questionnaires. Mercury levels varied by fish species with predatory fish species having the highest concentrations. Low Hg concentrations were found in dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) and flyingfish (Hirundichthys affinis). Reported fish consumption rates were high and varied significantly between men and women, 2675 ± 1600 and 1275 ± 600 (g/week), respectively (p = 0.01). The median hair Hg concentration was 3.1 ± 2.3 μg/g (range: 0.01–15.6 μg/g) and significantly associated with consumption of “high-risk” fish species (p = .02). These results show that it is possible to make informed choices concerning fish consumption habits in order to maximize benefits while minimizing the effect of Hg exposures, especially for sensitive groups such as pregnant women and infants.     

Sperm contamination in archived and contemporary herring samples

Studies using archived scales and otoliths to examine ancient fish populations have become increasingly common, despite many methodological challenges in ancient DNA research. Here, we describe a case of DNA contamination in both modern and historical samples of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), where the source of the contamination is likely from milt spillage during collection. We describe a series of experiments to remove contamination using pre-extraction wash treatments. Though contamination was easily removed from contemporary fin clippings, no method was successful at removing contamination from historical scales. We discuss the implications of our findings to the genetic analysis of archived samples.     

河流汞污染对青鳉鱼早期发育的毒性影响

清镇市化工厂是贵州省东门桥河汞污染的重要来源。为了评估这条河流的汞污染程度,本研究调查了东门桥河环境样品中的汞含量和分布情况。河流水体总汞(THg)和甲基汞(MeHg)的平均含量分别为(135.79±47.40)和(0.64±0.58) ng·L^-1;生物膜中THg和MeHg的平均含量分别为(3.38±1.91) mg·kg^-1和(10.47±0.40)μg·kg^-1;沉积物中THg和MeHg的平均含量分别为(23.21±20.22) mg·kg^-1和(32.74±10.96)μg·kg^-1。为了进一步了解这条河流中汞对水生生物的风险,将青鳉鱼胚胎和仔鱼分别暴露于从河中收集的被汞污染的河水、生物膜和沉积物中。青鳉鱼胚胎经15 d暴露后,孵化时间延长、孵化率显著降低,死亡率显著升高,实验暴露还导致胚胎无法破膜、卵黄囊水肿等畸形效应,以及初孵仔鱼不同程度的畸形。青鳉鱼仔鱼经24、48、96 h和21 d暴露后,各暴露组的死亡率和畸形率随着暴露时间的延长而显著升高,且表现出一系列以脊...     

The use of polynomial regression analysis with indicator variables for interpretation of mercury in fish data

Mercury levels in fish in reservoirs and natural lakes have been monitored on a regular basis since 1978 at the La Grande hydroelectric complex located in the James Bay region of Québec, Canada. The main analytical tools historically used were analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), linear regression of the mercury-to-length relationship and Student-Newman-Keuls (SNK) multiple comparisons of mean mercury levels. Inadequacy of linear regression (mercury-to-length relationships are often curvilinear) and difficulties in comparing mean mercury levels when regressions differ lead us to use polynomial regression with indicator variables.For comparisons between years, polynomial regression models relate mercury levels to length (L), length squared (L²), binary (dummy) indicator variables (B_n), each representing a sampled year, and the products of each of these explanatory variables (L × B₁, L² × B₁, L × B₂, etc.). Optimal transformations of the mercury levels (for normality and homogeneity) were found by the Box-Cox procedure. The models so obtained formed a partially nested series corresponding to four situations: (a) all years are well represented by a single polynomial model; (b) the year-models are of the same shape, but the means may differ; (c) the means are the same, but the year-models differ in shape; (d) both the means and shapes may differ among years. Since year-specific models came from the general one, rigorous statistical comparisons are possible between models.Polynomial regression with indicator variables allows rigorous statistical comparisons of mercury-to-length relationships among years, even when the shape of the relationships differ. It is simple to obtain accurate estimates of mercury levels at standardized length, and multiple comparisons of these estimations are simple to perform. The method can also be applied to spatial analysis (comparison of sampling stations), or to the comparison of different biological forms of the same species (dwarf and normal lake whitefish).     

阿哈水库沉积物总汞及甲基汞分布特征

为弄清阿哈水库沉积物是否受到历史矿山废水输入对沉积物总汞及甲基汞垂直分布的影响,对沉积物总汞及甲基汞的含量和其垂直分布特征进行了研究.结果表明,阿哈水库沉积物总汞含量变化范围为160～252 ng·g-1,平均为210 ng·g-1,明显高于其他未受到污染的水库沉积物.沉积物中总汞含量随沉积物深度增加呈增加趋势,与其沉积环境有关.沉积物中甲基汞含量变化范围为0.2～7.2 ng·g-1,平均为1.8 ng·g-1,丰水期甲基汞含量随深度增加逐渐下降,且沉积物表层甲基汞含量显著高于枯水期,与丰水期表层有机物的增加和厌氧环境有关.     

Validation of swabs as a non-destructive and relatively non-invasive DNA sampling method in fish

Non-destructive methods of collecting DNA from small fish species can be problematic, as fin clips can potentially affect behaviour or survivorship in the wild. Swabbing body mucus may provide a less invasive method of DNA collection. However, risk of contamination from other individuals in high density groups could give erroneous genotyping results. We compared multilocus microsatellite genotypes from the same individuals when collected at low and high density and compared this with fin clips. We found no differences between these categories, with a genotyping error rate of 0.42%, validating the use of body mucus swabbing for DNA collection in fish.