title: Antimony, arsenic and mercury in the aquatic environment and fish in a large antimony mining area in Hunan, China.
abstract: Antimony (Sb) has received increasing attention recently due to its toxicity and potential human carcinogenicity. In the present work, drinking water, fish and algae samples were collected from the Xikuangshan (XKS) Sb mine area in Hunan, China. Results show that serious Sb and moderate arsenic (As) contamination is present in the aquatic environment. The average Sb concentrations in water and fish were 53.6 + or - 46.7 microg L(-1) and 218 + or - 113 microg kg(-1) dry weight, respectively. The Sb concentration in drinking water exceeded both Chinese and WHO drinking water guidelines by 13 and 3 times, respectively. Antimony and As concentrations in water varied with seasons. Fish gills exhibited the highest Sb concentrations but the extent of accumulation varied with habitat. Antimony enrichment in fish was significantly lower than that of As and Hg.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550002, China.
authors.forename: Zhiyou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Fengchang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Dulasiri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Amarasiriwardena
authors.forename: Changli
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.forename: Bijun
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Qiujing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Haiqing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000965:Antimony / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D002681:China; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008906:Mining; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D000965:Antimony; D008628:Mercury; D001151:Arsenic