Mercury in western North America: A synthesis of environmental contamination, fluxes, bioaccumulation, and risk to fish and wildlife

Eagles‐Smith, Collin A.; Wiener, James G.; Eckley, Chris S.; Willacker, James J.; Evers, David C.; Marvin-DiPasquale, Mark C.; Obrist, Daniel; Fleck, Jacob A.; Aiken, George R.; Lepak, Jesse M.; Jackson, Allyson K.; Webster, Jackson P.; Stewart, Aubrey; Davis, Jay A; Alpers, Charles N.; Ackerman, Joshua T.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.094

Cited by 122 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 134 publications

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“…The lack of a relationship between Hg sed and Hg fish is consistent with other regional Hg studies [55,56,57,58]. Gold mining along the Malinowski River, and elsewhere in MDD, remains localized relative to their large watersheds.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Mercury Contamination in Riverine Sediments and Fish Associated with Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Madre de Dios, Peru

Martinez

McCord

Driscoll

et al. 2018

IJERPH

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Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Madre de Dios, Peru, continues to expand rapidly, raising concerns about increases in loading of mercury (Hg) to the environment. We measured physicochemical parameters in water and sampled and analyzed sediments and fish from multiple sites along one ASGM-impacted river and two unimpacted rivers in the region to examine whether Hg concentrations were elevated and possibly related to ASGM activity. We also analyzed the 308 fish samples, representing 36 species, for stable isotopes (δ15N and δ13C) to estimate their trophic position. Trophic position was positively correlated with the log-transformed Hg concentrations in fish among all sites. There was a lack of relationship between Hg concentrations in fish and either Hg concentrations in sediments or ASGM activity among sites, suggesting that fish Hg concentrations alone is not an ideal bioindicator of site-specific Hg contamination in the region. Fish Hg concentrations were not elevated in the ASGM-impacted river relative to the other two rivers; however, sediment Hg concentrations were highest in the ASGM-impacted river. Degraded habitat conditions and commensurate shifts in fish species and ecological processes may influence Hg bioaccumulation in the ASGM-impacted river. More research is needed on food web dynamics in the region to elucidate any effects caused by ASGM, especially through feeding relationships and food sources.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Mercury Contamination in Riverine Sediments and Fish Associated with Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Madre de Dios, Peru

Martinez

McCord

Driscoll

et al. 2018

IJERPH

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“…; Burgess and Meyer 2008; Evers et al, 2008a; Depew et al, 2012; Schoch et al, 2014), and avian piscivores are key bioindicators for many long-term monitoring programs (Braune 2007; Evers et al, 1998; Monteiro and Furness, 1995) and site-specific assessments (Guigueno et al, 2012; Weech et al, 2006). As part of a cross-national assessment of Hg cycling, distribution, and bioaccumulation (Western North America Mercury Synthesis), Hg risk to avian piscivores was assessed for Western North America – a region spanning north to Alaska, south to Arizona, west to the Pacific, and east to the Dakotas (see overview in Eagles-Smith et al, this issue [a] ). Understanding Hg risk to avian piscivores across this large region is important for conservation of these sensitive species.…”

Section: 0 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, Western North America covers a large diversity of freshwater and marine ecosystems, incorporating at least 19 bird conservation regions that ultimately support a diverse assemblage of avian piscivore species (North American Bird Conservation Initiative, 2015). Second, Hg distribution across Western North America is highly variable because of diverse landscape factors that facilitate methylation, an extensive mining history, and climatological variation that influences Hg transport and fate (Pinkney et al, 2015; Eagles-Smith et al this issue [a] ). The diverse landscape and climatological gradients of the West limit the geographical utility of single species assessments, because prey fish and avian piscivore assemblages vary greatly across the region, which presents unrealistic assessments of risk to avian taxa that do not exist in certain regions.…”

Section: 0 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury risk to avian piscivores across western United States and Canada

Jackson

Evers

Eagles‐Smith

et al. 2016

Science of The Total Environment

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The widespread distribution of mercury (Hg) threatens wildlife health, particularly piscivorous birds. Western North America is a diverse region that provides critical habitat to many piscivorous bird species, and also has a well-documented history of mercury contamination from legacy mining and atmospheric deposition. The diversity of landscapes in the west limit the distribution of avian piscivore species, complicating broad comparisons across the region. Mercury risk to avian piscivores was evaluated across the Western United States and Canada using a suite of avian piscivore species representing a variety of foraging strategies that together occur broadly across the region. Prey fish Hg concentrations were size-adjusted to the preferred size class of the diet for each avian piscivore (Bald Eagle=36 cm, Osprey=30 cm, Common and Yellow-billed Loon=15 cm, Western and Clark’s Grebe=6 cm, and Belted Kingfisher=5 cm) across each species breeding range. Using a combination of field and lab-based studies on Hg effect in a variety of species, wet weight blood estimates were grouped into five relative risk categories including: background (<0.5 μg/g), low (0.5 – 1 μg/g), moderate (1 – 2 μg/g), high (2 – 3 μg/g), and extra high (>3 μg/g). These risk categories were used to estimate potential mercury risk to avian piscivores across the west at a 1 degree-by-1 degree grid cell resolution. Avian piscivores foraging on larger-sized fish generally were at higher relative risk to Hg. Habitats with relatively high risk included wetland complexes (e.g., prairie pothole in Saskatchewan), river deltas (e.g., San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound, Columbia River), and arid lands (Great Basin and central Arizona). These results indicate that more intensive avian piscivore sampling is needed across western North America to generate a more robust assessment of exposure risk.

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“…De ahí, el aumento del riesgo ambiental y a la salud debido a la toxicidad y persistencia de metales pesados tales como Cr (VI), Hg+,Ni 2 O 3 , CuO, Cd, entre otros. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. En el caso específico del Cr (VI), este se comporta como un elemento tóxico con efectos nocivos, que penetra rápidamente cualquier vía de exposición hasta llegar a los glóbulos rojos, híga-do, bazo, riñón, tejidos blandos y huesos afectando principalmente sistemas digestivo, respiratorio, urinario y la piel [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13].…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Evaluación De Residuos Agroindustriales Como Biofiltros: Remoción De Cr (Vi) en Efluentes De Curtiembres Sintéticos

Martínez¹,

Peña

Erazo

et al. 2017

BSAA

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RESUMEN Se estima que el 85% de los insumos químicos usados por las industrias de curtiembres europeas para producir 1000 kg de cuero crudo se vierten a los afluentes de recurso hídrico en forma de contaminantes, entre ellos el Cromo VI (Cr (VI)) ABSTRACT In order to produce 1000 kg of leather, it is estimated of 85% of chemical input, used by European tanning plants, is discharged as contaminant. Among of them, Cr (VI), this is a toxic compound of easy adsorption. In that sense, the present work is focused on the removal of Cr (VI) in synthetic solution prepared from Cr (VI) estimated concentration found in wastewater sample discharged by tanning industries (Cr (VI): 32,6 mg/kg). Thus, five filters packed with orange (Citrus sinensis) and plantain (Musa AAB) peels were used in laboratory scale PALABRAS CLAVE:Biofiltro, Cromo VI, Cáscaras de plátano (Musa AAB) y naranja (Citrus sinensis), Metales pesados.

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Mercury in western North America: A synthesis of environmental contamination, fluxes, bioaccumulation, and risk to fish and wildlife

Cited by 122 publications

References 134 publications

Mercury Contamination in Riverine Sediments and Fish Associated with Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Madre de Dios, Peru

Mercury Contamination in Riverine Sediments and Fish Associated with Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Madre de Dios, Peru

Mercury risk to avian piscivores across western United States and Canada

Evaluación De Residuos Agroindustriales Como Biofiltros: Remoción De Cr (Vi) en Efluentes De Curtiembres Sintéticos

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