Identifying Sources of Environmental Contamination in European Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) Using Trace Elements and Lead Isotopic Compositions

Abstract

Trace element concentrations (As, Mn, Pb, and Zn) and Pb isotopic compositions were analyzed in honey bees, wax, and honey along with co-located soil and dust samples from Sydney metropolitan and Broken Hill, Australia. Compared with the other trace elements, Pearson correlations show that Pb concentrations in soil and dust had the strongest relationship to corresponding values in honey bees and their products. Dust Pb was not only highly correlated to corresponding soil values (r = 0.806, p = 0.005), it was the strongest predictor of Pb concentrations in honey bees, wax, and honey (p = 0.001, 0.007, 0.017, respectively). Lead isotopic compositions ( 206 Pb/ 207 Pb and 208 Pb/ 207 Pb) showed that honey bees and their products from Broken Hill were nearly identical (95−98%) to the composition of the local ore body. Samples of honey bees and their products collected from background sites adjacent to national parks in Sydney had Pb isotopic compositions ( 206 Pb/ 207 Pb = 1.138−1.159, 208 Pb/ 207 Pb = 2.417−2.435) corresponding to local geogenic values ( 206 Pb/ 207 Pb = 1.123−1.176, 208 Pb/ 207 Pb = 2.413−2.500). By contrast, honey bees and their products from Sydney metropolitan ( 206 Pb/ 207 Pb = 1.081−1.126, 208 Pb/ 207 Pb = 2.352−2.408) were similar to aerosols measured during the period of leaded petrol use ( 206 Pb/ 207 Pb = 1.067−1.148, 208 Pb/ 207 Pb = 2.341−2.410). These measurements show Pb concentrations and its isotopic compositions of honey bees, and their products can be used to trace both legacy and contemporary environmental contamination, particularly where sources are well documented. Moreover, this study demonstrates that legacy Pb emissions continue to be remobilized in dust, contaminating both food and ecological systems.

New Approaches to Identifying and Reducing the Global Burden of Disease From Pollution

“…Their analyses showed different environmental and biomarkers contained corresponding data, providing additional evidence for the reliability of bees and honey as biomarkers for anthropogenic contamination. Even though global populations are becoming more urbanized and are consuming more, there is an unprecedented awareness of human impact on the environment (EEA, 2016) with related concerns about the quality and source of the food (e.g., Zhou, Taylor, Davies, & Prasad, 2018) produced in potentially contaminated landscapes (U.S. EPA, 2014). Almost paradoxically, in the center of contamination -our global cities-urban gardening has risen to an all-time high, with~35% of Americans (NGA, 2014) and 52% of Australians producing some food from their garden space (TAI, 2014).…”

Effectiveness of Different Sample Treatments for the Elemental Characterization of Bees and Beehive Products

“…In fact, several living organisms, known as biomonitors, can accumulate toxic elements, allowing the monitoring of pollutants concentrations in the environment for integrated measurements over time [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. The use of apis mellifera and beehive products for biomonitoring studies has been widely investigated [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ] and reviewed [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Honeybees and the associated matrices are often considered as efficient sentinels for environmental biomonitoring [ 7 , 17 ].…”

Why bees are critical for achieving sustainable development

“…Planting aesthetically pleasing, bee-attractive flowering species in landscape planning can provide forage for bees, and close proximity to such plantings may result in pollination rewards for trees and other species in public green spaces (target 11.7) (Lowenstein et al 2015;Hausmann et al 2016). European honey bees can be used as an indicator species for tracking contaminants and monitoring environmental health (target 13.3) in urban areas (Zhou et al 2018). In addition, understanding bee forage preference, suitability of habitat and mobility between different habitat types is critical for designing sustainable urban (target 11.7) and rural landscapes (target 15.9) to optimize pollination benefits as well as support bee health (Stange et al 2017;Langellotto et al 2018).…”