Detritivorous fish contamination in the Río de la Plata estuary: a critical accumulation pathway in the cycle of anthropogenic compounds

Abstract

Aliphatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, furans, and trace metals have been quantified in fishes collected at four stations in Río de la Plata to determine contaminant sources, elucidate interstation and interspecies differences, and assess the health risks associated with fish consumption. Río de la Plata fish present low trace metal concentrations and moderate to high levels of organic pollutants, particularly aliphatic hydrocarbons and PCBs. The highest concentrations were recorded in Prochilodus lineatus, a dominant and remarkably specialized fatty detritivore that feeds on contaminated organic-rich flocculent matter. Lower levels were registered in Cyprinus carpio and especially in Mugil cephalus, reflecting different feeding preferences. A geographical pattern of higher contaminant concentrations close to the Buenos Aires urban center and lower levels in distant stations was also observed. The multivariate analysis of contaminant signatures indicated that most contaminated Prochilodus had fresh petrogenic and PCB traces, similar to fossil fuels and Aroclor 1254-1260, whereas Mugil and fish from distant sites presented a higher proportion of biogenic hydrocarbons and of more chlorinated PCBs. Toxicity equivalents ranged from 11 to 39 pg•g fresh weight -1 in Prochilodus, exceeding the guideline of 25 pg•g -1 for human consumption, with allowable consumption rates as low as 1 g fish•day -1 .Résumé : Nous avons quantifié les hydrocarbures aliphatiques, les pesticides chlorés, les polychlorobiphényles (PCB), les dioxines, les furanes et les métaux-traces chez des poissons prélevés à quatre stations dans le Río de la Plata en vue de déterminer les sources de contaminants, d'éclaircir les différences entre stations et entre espèces et d'évaluer les risques pour la santé associé à la consommation de poissons. Les poissons du Río de la Plata présentent de faibles concentrations de métaux-traces et des teneurs modérées à élevées en polluants organiques, particulièrement les hydrocarbures aliphatiques et les PCB. Les concentrations les plus élevées ont été observées chez Prochilodus lineatus, poisson gras détritivore dominant et remarquablement spécialisé, qui se nourrit de matière floculée contaminée riche en substances organiques. Des concentrations plus faibles ont été enregistrées chez Cyprinus carpio et particulièrement chez Mugil cephalus, ce qui correspond à des différences sur le plan de l'alimentation. Nous avons aussi observé un patron géographique, les concentrations de contaminants étant plus élevées à proximité du centre urbain de Buenos Aires et plus faibles aux stations éloignées. L'analyse multivariée des signatures des contaminants a indiqué que la plupart des Prochilodus contaminés présentaient des traces fraîches de matériel pétrogénétique et de PCB, semblables à celles des combustibles fossiles et de l'Aroclor 1254-1260, tandis que les Mugil et les poissons des stations éloignées présentaient une plus forte proportion d'hydrocarbures biogéniques et ...

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in sediments and fish species from the Murchison Bay of Lake Victoria, Uganda

“…The concentrations were higher than those in fresh water fish from River Turia in Spain (Bordajandi et al, 2003), the Napoleon Gulf and Thurston Bay of Lake Victoria (Ssebugere et al, 2013a) and Sepetibabay, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil (Ferreira, 2013). The results of the present study were in the same range of data as for fresh water fish from the Río de la Plata estuary in Argentina and Uruguay (Colombo et al, 2000) and Lakes Volta, Bosumtwi and Weija in Ghana (Adu-Kumi et al, 2010). The PCDD/F levels were however lower than those in fish from Masan Bay in South Korea (Im et al, 2004), Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers in the United States of America (Wan et al, 2010) and Qiantangjiang River in China (Han et al, 2007) (Table 4).…”

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons assessment in sediment of national parks in southeast Brazil

“…In the tropics, the precipitation rates might be an important factor in mountain regions and may govern contaminant amplification. However, few studies have been done in tropical areas (Colombo et al, 2000;Torres et al, 2002;Quiroz et al, 2005). Barra and co-workers (2005) verified that the PAH levels in the Andean mountain soils were affected by local contaminating sources such as human influence.…”

Avaliação do residual de bifenilos policlorados em músculo congelado e lombo cozido congelado de atum (Katsuwonus pelamis)

“…Tais autores confirmam o resultado obtido no presente trabalho de baixos níveis de contaminação na região sul do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Por outro lado, na Argentina, Colombo et al 23 observaram que os peixes do Rio da Prata apresentaram de moderadas a altas concentrações de poluentes orgânicos, como PCBs. Foi observada uma maior contaminação na área próxima a Buenos Aires, que se tornava menor em áreas mais distantes.…”