Mercury Enrichment in Sediments of the Coastal Area of Northern Latium, Italy

Scanu, Sergio; Piazzolla, Daniele; Frattarelli, Francesco Manfredi; Mancini, Emanuele; Tiralongo, Francesco; Brundo, Maria Violetta; Tibullo, Daniele; Pecoraro, Roberta; Copat, Chiara; Ferrante, Margherita; Marcelli, Marco

doi:10.1007/s00128-016-1776-9

Cited by 24 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Continental terrigenous inputs derived from the afferent basins and the presence of large areas showing bioconstructions and P. oceanica meadows influence the sedimentary processes of the considered physiographical unit. The distribution patterns of arsenic and mercury concentrations within the marine sediment of the area comprised between the Mignone river and Monte Argentario confirm the prevailing direction of currents and winds toward North West [12].…”

Section: The Study Areasupporting

confidence: 52%

Integrated Observing Systems Supporting Civitavecchia Port Development

Marcelli

Bonamano

Boschi

et al. 2019

WIT Transactions on the Built Environment

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Industrial and commercial, together with touristic and ecological, are two of the main uses of the Civitavecchia coastal area that bring wealth and of course influence this marine ecosystem. The port, one of the most important in the Mediterranean Sea, recorded in the last three decades a major increment of its commercial traffic, becoming also strategic for important Mediterranean cruise routes and for passenger flow. New passenger facilities and enhanced and enlarged wharfs allowed to increment the hosted cruise liners from 50 ships in 1996 to 500 in 2003. The creation of new quays and the extension of the anti-mural dame caused on the ecosystems a direct and indirect impact due to the modification of the currents and the dispersion of the dredged materials. The characterisation and assessment of the coastal marine environment of Civitavecchia and its surroundings constitutes, since its creation in 2001, is one of the main activities of the Laboratory of Experimental Oceanology and Marine Ecology (LOSEM) of Tuscia University, who studied the impact of anthropic activities and the influence of climatic events, investigating the chemical and physical parameters of both water column and sediments. Benthic biocenoses and Posidonia oceanica were used to evaluate benthos geochemical and ecological characteristics and a specific effort was devoted to hypothesize the possible incidence of dredging works on the benthic ecosystem. The results of the research activities are synthetically reviewed in this paper.

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Section: The Study Areasupporting

confidence: 52%

Integrated Observing Systems Supporting Civitavecchia Port Development

Marcelli

Bonamano

Boschi

et al. 2019

WIT Transactions on the Built Environment

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“…Today the use of some of these metals is restricted, for example As, that is used as antimicrobial and plasticizer (Cordeiro et al, 2012). Thus, contamination of food sources, whether by naturally occurring or introduced toxins, is a concern for consumers due to the adverse health effects that have been associated with exposure to such compounds (Piazzolla et al, 2015; Scanu et al, 2016; Pappalardo et al, 2017; Ferrante et al, 2018a,b).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomarkers of Exposure to Chemical Contamination in the Commercial Fish Species Lepidopus caudatus (Euphrasen, 1788): A Particular Focus on Plastic Additives

et al. 2019

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In recent years, the Mediterranean Sea has become an accumulation zone for waste generated by the 22 countries bordering its shores. Although the effects of plastic litter on the marine environment and on organisms have recently been studied in other areas, further information is needed for the Mediterranean Sea and, in particular, about plastics additives inputs and interactions with the biota and the trophic network, such as phthalates and bisphenol A. Plastic material production, use and disposal contribute also to the release of heavy metals into the environment, such as mercury (Hg), often used during the production of chlorine, the primary ingredient in PVC, lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd), which are used as stabilizers in PVC and leach out of products during use and disposal. Our research aims to evaluate phthalates, bisphenol A and heavy metals contamination in Lepidopus caudatus (Pisces, Trichiuridae), which could be considered as a potential sentinel species. For the evaluation of toxicological effects, we evaluated the expression of vitellogenin and metallothioneins 1. In all samples analyzed, we have not found microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract but chemical analysis revealed the presence of high content of phthalates, and in particular high quantities of DIDP, DEHP, bis-benzylester phthalate, bis-butyl ester phthalate and mono-N-butyl ester phthalate in different organs. Instead, trace elements detected in tissue revealed a trend of concentrations generally higher in liver and intestine than gill and muscle tissues. Immunohistochemical analysis for anti-metallothionein 1 antibody showed a strong positivity of liver cells, both in females and males. Analysis for the anti-vitellogenin antibody showed in females a strong positivity both in the liver cells and in the gonads, in male specimens was found to be always negative except for a specimen, in which it was highlighted a positivity in some areas of the liver and of the gonad.

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“…From a mineralogical point of view, the heavy and light minerals distribution indicates the existence of a littoral sediment drift directed towards North West, which is in agreement with the main direction of currents and greater intensity winds [15]. The predominant material migration toward North West is also confirmed by the arsenic and mercury concentrations in the marine sediment between the Mignone river and Monte Argentario [16]- [19].…”

Section: The Study Areamentioning

confidence: 60%

Dredging Works Monitoring in the Port of Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy: Sedimentological and Geochemical Investigations

Piazzolla

Scanu

Bonamano

et al. 2018

WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment

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devoted a significant part of its studies to the characterization and assessment of the coastal marine environment near Civitavecchia (central Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy), and to the influence of climatic events, as well as anthropic activities on marine environment. The coastal area of Civitavecchia is characterized by multiple uses (e.g. industrial, commercial, touristic, ecological) which result in a complex series of effects on the marine ecosystem. Civitavecchia also hosts one of the most important European ports, where several expansion works over recent times have influenced the sedimentological, geochemical and ecological characteristics (e.g., benthic biocenoses and Posidonia oceanica) of the area. Extensive dredging works in the Civitavecchia harbour were performed between November 2012 and January 2013 to build new piers and docks. The potential impact of the dredging works was assessed through an extended environmental monitoring program which was performed before and after the dredging activities. In detail, during the monitoring activities, the chemical and physical characterization of the water column, marine sediments and the assessment of the possible impact of dredging activities on the benthic ecosystem were carried out. This paper reports the results of the monitoring activities of water and sediments carried out in the harbour area and in the nearby environment. The increase of sediment fine fraction and the enrichment of trace metals in the offshore station could have been induced by dredging activities. Previous studies report the assessment of the environmental conditions before and after the dredging operations where significant variations in the composition of the benthic biocenosis and the effects on Posidonia oceanica meadows were found.

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Mercury Enrichment in Sediments of the Coastal Area of Northern Latium, Italy

Cited by 24 publications

References 39 publications

Integrated Observing Systems Supporting Civitavecchia Port Development

Integrated Observing Systems Supporting Civitavecchia Port Development

Biomarkers of Exposure to Chemical Contamination in the Commercial Fish Species Lepidopus caudatus (Euphrasen, 1788): A Particular Focus on Plastic Additives

Dredging Works Monitoring in the Port of Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy: Sedimentological and Geochemical Investigations

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