title: Variations in anthropogenic silver in a large Patagonian lake correlate with global shifts in photographic processing technology.
abstract: At the beginning of the 21st century, digital imaging technology replaced the traditional silver-halide film photography which had implications in Ag contamination. Lake Nahuel Huapi is a popular Patagonia tourist destination impacted by municipal silver (Ag) contamination from photographic processing facilities since 1990's. Silver concentrations in a dated sediment core from the lake bottom showed a 10-fold increase above background levels in the second half of the 20th century, then a decrease. This trend corresponds well with published annual global photography industry demand for Ag, which clearly shows the evolution and replacement of the traditional silver-halide film photography by digital imaging technology. There were significant decreases in Ag concentrations in sediments, mussels and fish across the lake between 1998 and 2011. Lower trophic organisms had variable whole-body Ag concentrations, from 0.2-2.6 μg g-1dry weight (DW) in plankton to 0.02-3.1 μg g-1DW in benthic macroinvertebrates. Hepatic Ag concentrations in crayfish, mussels and predatory fish were significantly elevated relative to muscle which often have Ag concentrations below the detection limit (0.01-0.05 μg g-1DW). Trophodynamic analyses using δ15N and whole-body invertebrate and muscle Ag concentrations indicated food web biodilution trends. High sedimentation rates in conjunction with the reduction of silver waste products discharged to the lake, as a result of the change to digital image processing technologies, are resulting in unplanned but welcome remediation of the Ag contamination in Lake Nahuel Huapi.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Análisis por Activación Neutrónica (LAAN), Centro Atómico Bariloche, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Av. Bustillo 9500, 8400 Bariloche, Argentina; Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Patagonia Norte, Av. de los Pioneros 2350, 8400 Bariloche, Argentina. Electronic address: romina.juncos@cab.cnea.gov.ar.
authors.forename: Romina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Juncos
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Saint Mary's University, 923 Robie St., Halifax, NS B3H 3C3, Canada.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Análisis por Activación Neutrónica (LAAN), Centro Atómico Bariloche, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Av. Bustillo 9500, 8400 Bariloche, Argentina; Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Patagonia Norte, Av. de los Pioneros 2350, 8400 Bariloche, Argentina.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arcagni
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Análisis por Activación Neutrónica (LAAN), Centro Atómico Bariloche, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Av. Bustillo 9500, 8400 Bariloche, Argentina; Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Patagonia Norte, Av. de los Pioneros 2350, 8400 Bariloche, Argentina.
authors.forename: Romina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Daga
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Análisis por Activación Neutrónica (LAAN), Centro Atómico Bariloche, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Av. Bustillo 9500, 8400 Bariloche, Argentina; Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Patagonia Norte, Av. de los Pioneros 2350, 8400 Bariloche, Argentina.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Análisis por Activación Neutrónica (LAAN), Centro Atómico Bariloche, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Av. Bustillo 9500, 8400 Bariloche, Argentina.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arribére
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Análisis por Activación Neutrónica (LAAN), Centro Atómico Bariloche, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Av. Bustillo 9500, 8400 Bariloche, Argentina.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ribeiro Guevara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000737:chemistry; D001118:Argentina; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism; D020387:Food Chain; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000737:chemistry; D060106:Lakes / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D010781:Photography / Q000379:methods*; D010933:Plankton / Q000737:chemistry; D012834:Silver / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D012834:Silver
keywords: Film photography; Fish; Lake sediments; Patagonia; Silver contamination