Metal loads and biomarker suite responses in a tropical carnivorous fish indicative of anthropogenic impacts in a Southeastern Brazilian lagoon

Abstract

Tropical coastal lagoons are highly productive environments exhibiting high biodiversity. However, the use of these ecosystems by local communities is of concern, since this generally leads to environmental degradation. The Imboassica coastal lagoon, located in Macaé city, in Northern Rio de Janeiro, is an important ecosystem in the state, however, already displaying signs of anthropogenic impacts. Carnivorous fish Hoplias malabaricus specimens were sampled from this impacted site, as well as from a reference area. Fish from Imboassica Lagoon presented lower condition factor, lower cholinesterase activity, and higher percentage of erythrocyte micronuclei when compared to fish from the reference site. Metals in fish from Imboassica Lagoon were always higher than Encantada Lagoon, with some seasonal differences, where some metals were higher in the rainy season compared to the dry season in muscle tissue, with the exception of Cu, Fe, Sr, and Zn; and in the liver, except for Ba, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Sr. Cr and Mn in the edible muscle portion of the fish were higher than the limits established by Brazilian and International legislations as permissible for human consumption, thus leading to concerns regarding public health risks for the local population that use fish as their main protein source.

Contamination and oxidative stress biomarkers in estuarine fish following a mine tailing disaster

“…Fish is an important food source for human communities on the coast. The determination of element concentrations in fish species is crucial to improve food quality assessments, and to prevent ingestion of potentially harmful food items by vulnerable local communities ( Hauser-Davis et al, 2016 ; Van Ael, Blust & Bervoets, 2017 ; Coimbra et al, 2018 ). Consumption of fish liver, including from Mugil sp., is considered a delicacy in some traditional communities ( Hauser-Davis et al, 2016 ), and could highly increase contamination effects through human consumption.…”

Biomarkers as a Tool to Monitor Environmental Impact on Aquatic Ecosystems / Biomarcadores Como Ferramenta Para Monitorar O Impacto Ambiental Nos Ecossistemas Aquáticos

“…Determination of the activity inhibition of this enzyme is a useful tool in the evaluation of the effects of contamination, which makes it possible to monitor the presence of these compounds and their possible risk for both the environment and human health (COIMBRA et al, 2018;ARAÚJO et al, 2016).…”

“…As previously mentioned, this process occurs during cytokinesis in the formation of the nuclear envelope and, if not incorporated into the main nucleus, they form their own envelope, generating the micronuclei. These changes tend to be irreversible and continue to manifest themselves in future generations through heredity, which may lead to a reduction in species diversity in the impacted aquatic ecosystems (BUENO et al, 2017;COIMBRA et al, 2018).…”

Metal contamination and oxidative stress biomarkers in estuarine fish following a mine tailing disaster

“…Considering that fish protein is an important source of nutrition for human coastal communities, the evaluation and determination of metal concentrations and their distribution in aquatic fauna are essential for food quality assessments, predictions regarding the toxic potential of these food items for local communities and guide immediate public health actions Van Ael, Blust & Bervoets, 2017;Coimbra et al, 2018).…”