A Systematic Investigation into the Environmental Fate of Microcystins and The Potential Risk: Study in Lake Taihu

Abstract

A systematic investigation was conducted in Lake Taihu in autumn of 2013 and 2014, in order to understand the environmental fate of microcystins (MCs) and evaluate the health risk from MCs. Samples of water, algal cells, macrophytes, shrimps and fish were taken to detect MCs by HPLC-MS/MS after solid phase extraction. Widespread MC contamination in water, algal cells, macrophytes, shrimps and fish was found in Lake Taihu. The ubiquitous presence of MCs in water, algal cells and biota was found in 100% of samples. MC accumulation was in the order of primary producer > tertiary consumer > secondary consumer > primary consumer. The highest levels of MCs in macrophytes, shrimps and fish tissue were found in Potamogeton maackianus, Exopalaemon modestus, and Hyporhamphus intermedius, respectively. The MCs level in shrimps and the tissues of three fish species, Neosalanx tangkahkeii taihuensis, Coilia ectenes and silver carp, was closely linked to their dietary exposure. Ceratophyllum demersum L. was an ideal plant for introduction into lakes to protect against Microcystis blooms and MCs, due to its ability to absorb nutrients, accumulate large amounts of MCs and tolerate these toxins compared to other macrophytes. The average daily intakes (ADIs) of MCs for Exopalaemon modestus and three fish species, Coilia ectenes, Hyporhamphus intermedius and Carassius carassius, were all above the tolerable daily intakes (TDI) set by the World Health Organization (WHO), implying there existed potential threats to human health.

Attack of Microcystis aeruginosa bloom on a Ceratophyllum submersum field: Ecotoxicological measurements in real environment with real microcystin exposure

“…co-existing with a MC containing bloom (Jia et al, 2016). The adverse effects of MCs on these organisms were studied at histological, cytological and biochemical levels.…”

Clinical effects of chemical exposures on mitochondrial function

“…In recent years, the deleterious effect of environmental toxins on mitochondrial function has been studied extensively in humans (Eldakroory et al, 2016, Cremonese et al, 2017, Hongsibsong et al, 2017, Sittitoon et al, 2017) and model organisms such as rodents (O’Brien and Wallace, 2004, Suzuki et al, 2008, Butenhoff et al, 2009, Butenhoff et al, 2012), fish (Ge et al, 2017), zebrafish (Bestman et al, 2015, Liu et al, 2015, Jia et al, 2016, Chen et al, 2016, Raftery et al, 2017), Caenorhabditis elegans ( C. elegans ) (Zhou et al, 2013, Liu et al, 2015, Wyatt et al, 2017), and cellular models (Zieminska et al, 2016, D’Mello et al, 2017, Yang et al, 2017). A large number of environmental factors including l-methyl-4phenyl-l, 2, 3, 6-tetra-hydropyridine (MPTP), and pesticides such as rotenone and paraquat are now widely-recognized mitochondrial toxins (Backer and Weinstein, 1980, Harmon and Sanborn, 1982, Nicklas et al, 1987, Youngster et al, 1987) and specifically, neurotoxins.…”

Solar Water Purification System Design: Application Study in Lake Taihu, China

“…Cyanobacteria blooms, known as blue-green algae, are primarily composed of Microcystis (MCs) [8]. According to the systematic investigation conducted in Lake Taihu by Jia and her colleges (2016), MCs were detected in all samples of water, algal cells, macrophytes, shrimp, and fish, and caused potential threats to human health [9]. Frequent occurrences of algal blooms and the accompanying hypoxia in Lake Taihu are key problems for water quality [10,11].…”