Bioaccumulation of PCBs and PBDEs in Fish from a Tropical Lake Chapala, Mexico

Abstract

Lake Chapala is the largest natural freshwater reservoir in Mexico and the third largest lake in Latin America. Lakes are often considered the final deposit of polluting materials; they can be concentrated in the organisms that inhabit them, the water, and the sediments. The PCBs and PBDEs are environmental pollutants highly studied for their known carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. PCB and PBDE bioaccumulation levels were determined in Chirostoma spp., Cyprinus carpio, and Oreochromis aureus. In addition, we monitored the concentrations of PCBs and PBDEs in sediment and water from Lake Chapala were monitored. Samples were collected during two periods, in October 2018 and May 2019. The samples were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Two bioaccumulation factors were determined in fish, one in relation to the concentration of PCBs and PBDEs in sediments and the other in relation to the concentration of PCBs and PBDEs in water. The PCB levels were 0.55–3.29 ng/g dry weight (dw) in sediments, 1.43–2.98 ng/mL in water, 0.30–5.31 ng/g dw in Chirostoma spp., 1.06–6.07 ng/g dw in Cyprinus carpio, and 0.55–7.20 ng/g dw in Oreochromis aureus. The levels of PBDEs were 0.17–0.35 ng/g dw in sediments, 0.13–0.32 ng/mL in water, 0.01–0.23 ng/g dw in Chirostoma spp., 0–0.31 ng/g dw in Cyprinus carpio, and 0.1–0.22 ng/g dw in Oreochromis aureus. This study provides information for a better understanding of the movement, global distribution, and bioaccumulation of PCBs and PBDEs. The results show that the fish, water, and sediments of Lake Chapala are potential risks to the biota and the local human population.

Pollution Characteristics and Health Risk Assessment of Halogenated Organic Pollutants (HOPs) in Fish from the Laibin Section of Hongshui River, China

“…Te highest and lowest average contents of the 18 monomers analyzed were PCB 169 and PCB 18, with 0.51 ng/g ww and 0.00 ng/g ww, respectively. Te concentration of Σ 18 PCBs in the present study was moderate compared to the concentrations reported in other studies, in Lake Chapala, Mexico (Σ 39 PCBs, 1.06-6.07 ng/g) [24] and Cook County IL, Chicago (11.8-505 ng/g ww) [25].…”

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in the Environment: Occupational and Exposure Events, Effects on Human Health and Fertility

“…PCBs bioaccumulate in the adipose tissue of living organisms, so their concentration increases along the trophic web, together with their toxicity for both animals and humans. High-chlorine PCBs have a greater potential for bioaccumulation and biomagnification along the food chain [ 103 , 104 , 105 ].…”

“…Among all 209 compounds classified as PCBs, 12 (i.e., PCB 77,81,105,114,118,123,126,156,157,167,169 and 189) have physio-chemical and toxicological properties comparable to those of dioxins and furans and are, therefore, called dioxin-like PCBs. Being all coplanar, they can bind to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which is the canonical receptor for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin [25].…”

A Current Review of Water Pollutants in American Continent: Trends and Perspectives in Detection, Health Risks, and Treatment Technologies

“…Most of them are primarily obtained from industrial activities having different uses, such as flame retardants, coolants, cement, and others. Their presence represents an important contribution to water ecotoxicity (Ecuador, Argentina, Mexico) that affects the integrity of the species that inhabit that ecosystem [53][54][55].…”

“…The bioaccumulation of several organic compounds, such as polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PBCs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), in important water bodies, such as Lake Chapala (Mexico), has been reported, through the analysis of samples recollected from water, fish, and sediments from two local seasonal periods. In this case, the fish analyzed were Cyprinus carpio, Oreochromis aureus, and Chirostoma spp., establishing that these chemical substances can reach the lake via industrial activities and strong winds and enter from the Lerma River (Mexico) [55].…”