Goldmining and mercury contamination of the piscivorous fish Hoplias aimara in French Guiana (Amazon basin).
Mercury contamination of 35 freshwater fish species collected from the upper part of the Petit-Saut hydroelectric reservoir (French Guiana) was analyzed in relation to their food regimes. Results showed marked biomagnification: the ratio between extreme Hg concentrations in the muscle from piscivorous species (14.3 microg/g, dry weight (dw) for Acestrorhynchus guianensis) and herbivorous species (0.02 microg/g, dw for Myleus ternetzi) was 715. The piscivorous species Hoplias aimara was selected to define the relationships between biometric criteria and Hg accumulation. The probability of catching a H. aimara exceeding the WHO safety limit (2.5 microg Hg/g, dw) was computed from the kernel density estimator of mercury concentrations in the muscle: for fish weighing over 1 kg (fish usually consumed), the probability was 0.93. From these results, H. aimara could be considered an indicator of mercury biomagnification in the foodwebs and a potential risk to human populations that include this fish in their diet.
Durrieu
Gilles
G
Laboratoire d'Ecophysiologie et Ecotoxicologie des Systèmes Aquatiques, UMR CNRS 5805, University Bordeaux 1, Place du Dr. Peyneau, 33120 Arcachon, France. g.durrieu@epoc.u-bordeaux1.fr
Maury-Brachet
Régine
R
Boudou
Alain
A
D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005399:Fishes; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005616:French Guiana; D005618:Fresh Water; D006046:Gold; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D008906:Mining; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D006046:Gold; D008628:Mercury