Before the Dam: A Fish-Mercury Contamination Baseline Survey at the Xingu River, Amazon Basin Before the Belo Monte Dam

Souza-Araujo, Juliana de; Andrades, Ryan; Hauser‐Davis, Rachel Ann; Lima, Marcelo; Giarrizzo, Tommaso

doi:10.1007/s00128-021-03371-9

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Additionally, studies evaluating fish in hydroelectric reservoirs and dam regions showed that Puruzinho and Catalão Lakes presented higher mercury concentrations of S. rhombeus (mean 0.789 μg/g, and range of 0.029 to 1.640 μg/g) [ 71 , 81 , 84 ]. On the other hand, the reservoirs of Belo Monte and Jirau Hydroelectric Plants showed high concentrations of mercury in S. rhombeus (0.480 μg/g) and lower concentrations in Triportheus albus (0.132 μg/g) [ 90 , 94 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in Mercury Contamination Distribution among Human and Animal Populations in the Amazon Region

Martoredjo,

Calvão Santos,

Vilhena

et al. 2024

Toxics

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Mercury contamination in the Amazon arising from both natural sources and intensive mining activities in the region is a significant public health concern. This metal is used to separate Au from sediments. Accordingly, this study aimed to assess the impact of mining on mercury contamination in the animal and human populations of the Amazon. This overall objective was pursued through a systematic review of the existing literature to assess the impact of Hg and identify gaps in geographic coverage arising from this assessment. Herein, we employed PECO and PRISMA-ScR protocols to select articles published between 2017 and 2023 based on projected points on a map within the biogeographic boundaries of the Amazon. We found that mercury concentrations increase with trophic levels, reaching high values of 3.7 µg/g in the muscles of predatory fish and 34.9 µg/g in human hair. The mean level of mercury in human hair in the whole (Amazon) region exceeds 6 µg/g, surpassing tolerance levels. Although mining regions show high concentrations of Hg, the highest incidence was observed among populations with fish-based diets. It was concluded that continuous research and monitoring of fish in the region are required in order to accurately assess the risk associated with Hg contamination, especially since fish are the main source of protein in this region.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in Mercury Contamination Distribution among Human and Animal Populations in the Amazon Region

Martoredjo,

Calvão Santos,

Vilhena

et al. 2024

Toxics

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“…The population studied presented a typical food profile of riverside populations in the Amazon region, in which riverine people reported having a good diet (natural food) based on vegetables, Brazil nuts, fruits, and mainly fish, the latter item being consumed three to four times per week [ 55 , 72 ]. We highlight the “fish consumption” factor for two interesting aspects: (i) a positive aspect, since there is a high concentration of unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids in this food, which can substantially contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in this population, since this nutrient has been proven to prevent this disease [ 38 , 73 ]; and (ii) a negative aspect, since there is a strong possibility that this food is contaminated by methylmercury, which in turn can bioaccumulate in riverine people who consume them [ 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. Indeed, Souza-Araujo and collaborators (2022) [ 42 ] identified fish contamination and mercury biomagnification in food webs in the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant, in the middle of Xingu River, Pará state.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We highlight the “fish consumption” factor for two interesting aspects: (i) a positive aspect, since there is a high concentration of unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids in this food, which can substantially contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in this population, since this nutrient has been proven to prevent this disease [ 38 , 73 ]; and (ii) a negative aspect, since there is a strong possibility that this food is contaminated by methylmercury, which in turn can bioaccumulate in riverine people who consume them [ 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. Indeed, Souza-Araujo and collaborators (2022) [ 42 ] identified fish contamination and mercury biomagnification in food webs in the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant, in the middle of Xingu River, Pará state. Recent studies have reported mercury contamination of traditional (e.g., riverine and indigenous) and urban communities in the lower Tapajós basin and in the Tucurí Lake influence area, Pará state [ 40 , 41 , 74 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The variable “fish consumption” was emphasized, since this food is rich in omega-3 fatty acid, which is a nutrient known to be associated with the prevention and protection of cardiovascular diseases [ 38 ]. On the other hand, the consumption of fish by the population studied may be a risk factor for mercury contamination, since it has been reported that many species of fish in the Xingu River have levels of methylmercury concentration (the organic form of the metal heavy mercury) far above what is tolerable by the human body and which has a high power of bioaccumulation along the food chain [ 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sociobehavioral, Biological, and Health Characteristics of Riverside People in the Xingu Region, Pará, Brazil

Lucianelli

Pereira

Santos

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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This study aimed to evaluate the sociodemographic, behavioral, and biological profile and its relationship with the emergence of chronic non-communicable diseases in riverside populations in the Xingu region, Pará, Brazil. Characteristics related to health indicators and which risk factors are considered most important were analyzed. This is a cross-sectional, exploratory, and descriptive study. The sample consisted of riverside people of over 18 years of both sexes. The sample size (n = 86) was calculated with a confidence level of 95% and a sample error of 5%. The K-means clustering algorithm was adopted through an unsupervised method to divide the groups, and the values were expressed as a median. For continuous and categorical data, the Mann-Whitney and chi-square tests were used, respectively, and the significance level was set at p < 5%. The multi-layer perceptron algorithm was applied to classify the degree of importance of each variable. Based on this information, the sample was divided into two groups: the group with low or no education, with bad habits and worse health conditions, and the group with opposite characteristics. The risk factors considered for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in the groups were low education (p < 0.001), sedentary lifestyle (p < 0.01), smoking, alcoholism, body mass index (p < 0.05), and waist–hip ratio, with values above the expected being observed in both groups. The factors considered important so as to be considered to have good health condition or not were the educational and social conditions of these communities, and one part of the riverside population was considered healthier than the other.

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“…Additionally, studies evaluating fish in hydroelectric reservoirs and dam regions showed that Puruzinho and Catalão Lakes presented higher mercury concentrations of S. rhombeus (mean 0.789 µg/g, and range of 0.029 to 1.640 µg/g) [73,83,86]. On the other hand, the reservoirs of Belo Monte and Jirau Hydroelectric Plants showed high concentrations of mercury in S. rhombeus (0.480 µg/g) and lower concentrations in Triportheus albus (0.132 µg/g) [92,96].…”

Section: Overview Of Thg Levels In Human Researchmentioning

confidence: 96%

Trends in Mercury Contamination Distribution among Human and Animal Populations in the Amazon

Martoredjo,

Calvão Santos,

Vilhena

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Mercury contamination in the Amazon is a significant public health concern arising from both natural sources and intensive mining activities in the region. This metal is used to separate Au from sediments, forming an amalgam that facilitates the extraction of precious metals. Accordingly, this study aimed to address the following question: What is the impact of mining on mercury contamination in the animal and human populations of the Amazon? The overall objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the existing literature to identify gaps in geographic coverage and assess the impact of Hg contamination on human and animal populations in the Amazon region. Our hypothesis was that higher mercury concentrations in tissue samples would be found closer to the mining areas. We employed the PECO and PRISMA-ScR protocols to collect articles published between 2017 and 2023, selected based on criteria representing projected points on a map within the biogeographic boundaries of the Amazon. Mercury concentrations increase with trophic levels, reaching high values of 3.7 µg/g in the muscles of predatory fish and 34.9 µg/g in human hair. The average level of mercury in humans exceeds 6 µg/g, surpassing tolerance levels. Although mining regions show high concentrations of Hg, the highest incidence was observed among populations with fish-based diets. Research on fish is crucial for assessing the risk to human health, given that fish are the main source of protein in the region.

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Before the Dam: A Fish-Mercury Contamination Baseline Survey at the Xingu River, Amazon Basin Before the Belo Monte Dam

Cited by 8 publications

References 31 publications

Trends in Mercury Contamination Distribution among Human and Animal Populations in the Amazon Region

Trends in Mercury Contamination Distribution among Human and Animal Populations in the Amazon Region

Sociobehavioral, Biological, and Health Characteristics of Riverside People in the Xingu Region, Pará, Brazil

Trends in Mercury Contamination Distribution among Human and Animal Populations in the Amazon

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