Mercury in environmental and biological samples from a gold mining area in the Amazon region of Brazil

Palheta, Dulcidéia da Conceição; Taylor, Andrew

doi:10.1016/0048-9697(95)04533-7

Cited by 82 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Thus, the human population is exposed not only to the intoxication with soluble forms of Hg, but to the possible infection with multiple-resistant pathogenic bacteria that may arise by horizontal transfer of resistance determinants in these ponds. This is also true for domestic animals, particularly pigs, as has been shown by Palheta and Taylor [14] in a gold mining area in the Brazilian Amazon.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

“…The Hg concentration at this site was shown to be sevenfold greater than the reported levels of uncontaminated waters in the same region [14]. However, there are more than 80 processing centers in a small area near El Callao and we cannot exclude the possibility of cross-contamination of this pond via groundwater and/or surface flow, particularly as a result of periodical rainfall during the rainy season.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 54%

“…Here we show that the levels of soluble Hg in the waters of tailing ponds, located at several gold-processing centers in the surroundings of El Callao, are significantly greater (i.e., between 10-and >600-fold higher) than those observed in uncontaminated freshwaters, which as typically less than 0.2 lg/L [14]. Because Hg enters these aquatic systems in a metallic form, these results reflect the chemical and biochemical modifications of the metal driven by abiotic and biotic factors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…Me-Hg, a highly liposoluble compound, may accumulate in living beings and translocate through the food chain. Interestingly, the levels of Hg in the meat of fish species often consumed by the population inhabiting the same region have been shown to be significantly greater than the normal levels [14,16], therefore posing serious threats to human health. Contrary to our expectations, the results obtained while studying the waters coming from a small creek (Quebrada Nacupay, site H) were particularly intriguing: not only was the Hg concentration significantly low (0.14 lg/L), but also the frequency of Hg-resistant strains was below the ones observed in the rest of the sites included in the present study (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mercury Resistance in Bacterial Strains Isolated from Tailing Ponds in a Gold Mining Area Near El Callao (Bolívar State, Venezuela)

et al. 2007

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Abstract. Bacterial resistance to mercury (Hg) was investigated in strains isolated from Hg-contaminated tailing ponds located in the gold mining area of El Callao (Bolívar State, Venezuela). High frequencies of resistance were detected to both inorganic-Hg and organomercurials among these strains. A broad range of resistance levels was observed when determining minimal inhibitory concentrations of Hg 2+ . Some strains were able to grow in liquid medium containing 25 lM Hg 2+ , whereas others grew at 300 lM Hg 2+ . Of 190 Hg-resistant strains tested, 58.2% were additionally shown to be resistant to ampicillin (40 mg/L), 33.3% to chloramphenicol (30 mg/L), 24.9% to streptomycin (30 mg/L), 23.3% to tetracycline (30 mg/L), and 1.6% to kanamycin (30 mg/L). Furthermore, we found that 20% of the Hgresistant strains were simultaneously resistant to as many as four of these antibiotics, at the concentrations tested. The presence of large plasmids in 62.9% of 53 Hg-resistant strains screened prompted us to investigate the horizontal transfer of resistance determinants. Mating experiments were performed using Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as recipient strains. The results obtained confirmed that indigenous Hg-resistant bacteria colonizing the tailing ponds can effectively transfer the phenotype to potentially pathogenic species.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 54%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mercury Resistance in Bacterial Strains Isolated from Tailing Ponds in a Gold Mining Area Near El Callao (Bolívar State, Venezuela)

et al. 2007

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“…8 This organic-metallic compound present in sediments can be released by diffusion or resuspension, and upon entering the food chain allows an effective biomagnification in aquatic biota. 9,10 Thus, the ingestion of fish is an important pathway to mercury intake by man. 11 Usually methylmercury represents more than 85% of the total mercury present in fish.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of mercury contamination in sediments from Santos - São Vicente Estuarine System, São Paulo State, Brazil

Hortellani¹,

Sarkis²,

Bonetti³

et al. 2005

J. Braz. Chem. Soc.

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A distribuição da contaminação por mercúrio no sistema estuarino de Santos -São Vicente foi observada pela análise de 31 amostras de sedimentos coletadas desse sistema, incluindo as áreas de manguezais localizadas em zonas sob influência urbana, industrial e portuária. Os valores obtidos de Hg variaram de 0,04 a 1,19 μg g -1 , sendo que cerca de 90% das amostras apresentaram concentrações superiores a 0,13 μg g -1 , limite estabelecido pela legislação Canadense e adotado pela Companhia de Tecnologia e Saneamento Ambiental de São Paulo (CETESB), abaixo do qual não é observado efeito adverso na comunidade biológica. Entre estas, cerca de 35% possui teor de Hg > 0,70 μg g -1 , provável nível de ocorrência de efeito adverso à comunidade biológica, indicando um aumento devido às atividades industriais, portuárias e urbanas. A fim de se verificar a relação entre os parâmetros investigados, foi feita análise estatística empregando-se o software SPSS-10.0. Utilizou-se o teor de lama para normalizar o de Hg, como recurso para detectar o grau de contaminação da região.The distribution of mercury contamination in the Santos -São Vicente Estuarine System was observed through the analysis of 31 sediments samples collected from that system, including mangrove areas under urban, industrial and harbor influence zones. The range of values obtained was between 0.04 and 1.19 μg g -1 . About 90% of samples presented Hg > 0.13 μg g -1 levels, which is the limit established by Canadian legislation and adopted by the environmental control agency of São Paulo State -Brazil (CETESB), below which no adverse effect on the biological community has been observed. About 35% of these samples presented concentrations of Hg > 0.70 μg g -1 , the probable level of occurrence of adverse effect on the biological community. These results indicate an increase in the mercury levels caused by industrial, port and urban activities. A statistical study was carried out, using the SPSS-10.0 software, to verify relationships among all the investigated parameters. Normalization of mercury with mud content was used to detect the degree of mercury contamination in this area.

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How Metals Get into Food

Reilly¹

2002

Metal Contamination of Food

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Mercury in environmental and biological samples from a gold mining area in the Amazon region of Brazil

Cited by 82 publications

References 8 publications

Mercury Resistance in Bacterial Strains Isolated from Tailing Ponds in a Gold Mining Area Near El Callao (Bolívar State, Venezuela)

Mercury Resistance in Bacterial Strains Isolated from Tailing Ponds in a Gold Mining Area Near El Callao (Bolívar State, Venezuela)

Evaluation of mercury contamination in sediments from Santos - São Vicente Estuarine System, São Paulo State, Brazil

How Metals Get into Food

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