Acute toxicity and bioaccumulation of arsenic in tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) from a blackfoot disease area in Taiwan

Abstract

The general objective of our work was to determine the acute toxicity and bioaccumulation of arsenic (As) in tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) from the blackfoot disease (BFD) area in Taiwan. The average concentration of As in pond water ranged from 17.8 to 49 microg L(-1). Acute toxicity tests showed that the As concentration that caused toxicity to tilapia ranged from 69 060 microg As L(-1), in the 24-h toxicity test, to 28 680 microg As L(-1), in the 96-h toxicity test. We measured As concentrations in various tissues of tilapia to identify the affinities of tissues for As. Significant correlations were found among the As concentrations in all tissues. The highest bioconcentration factor (BCF) was found in the intestine (maximum value: 2270). The order of BCFs was: intestine > stomach > liver approximately gill > muscle. Arsenic concentrations in all tissues were allometric, negatively correlating with fish body weight [r(2) = 0.63 +/- 0.045 (mean +/- SE), p < 0.05]. Our results also revealed that As concentrations in muscle tissue were positively correlated with As accumulation in the viscera (r(2) = 0.85, p < 0.05). Significantly higher concentrations of As were obtained in the viscera of tilapia [12.65 +/- 10.17 microg g(-1) dry wt (mean +/- SD)] than in the muscle tissue (3.55 +/- 0.42 microg g(-1) dry wt). Our results suggest that a simple way of reducing the health risk associated with consuming tilapia is to trim and cook the fish properly, that is, removing the viscera of tilapia can greatly reduce the amount of As ingested and consequently reduce the health risks.

Proteomic and metabolomic responses of clam Ruditapes philippinarum to arsenic exposure under different salinities

“…To our knowledge, most investigations on the toxicological effects of arsenic have focused on fishes which are vulnerable to arsenic exposure (Liao et al, 2003;Zhang et al, 2011a,b). Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) resides in both low intertidal and subtidal zones where the salinities are drastically changeable.…”

The influence of salinity on toxicological effects of arsenic in digestive gland of clam Ruditapes philippinarum using metabolomics

“…Previous research has focused on the toxic effects of arsenic in fi sh (Gilderhus, 1996;Larsen and Francesconi, 2003;Liao et al, 2003) but the mechanisms of arsenic toxicity in marine mollusks have not been well elucidated. Along the Bohai Sea coast, the clam Ruditapes philippinarum inhabits both low intertidal and subtidal zones, where salinities change rapidly during the entry and exit of fresh water.…”

Metals in Some Ready-to-Eat Foods on Some Highways of Lagos and Ota South-West Nigeria

“…However in human unborn baby, Lead and Cadmium have been linked to hormonal changes, impaired placental development, congenial malfunction, foetal growth restriction and spontaneous abortion [15]. Studies have shown that the effect may not be apparent not even until thirty years [16,17].…”

“…Automobiles emit several hundred of different compounds [27] hence the vehicular contribution to atmospheric pollutant of an environment cannot be underestimated as they contribute significantly to the level of trace metals in the environment. Vehicular contribution may be as a result of dust and exhaust obtained from burning of fossil fuel [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. …”