Abstract:Contamination by classic (polybromodiphenyl ethers, PBDEs) and emerging halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) like pentabromobenzene (PBEB), hexabromobenzene (HBB), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), and halogenated norbornenes (HNs), as well as organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) were investigated in sediment and eel (Anguilla Anguilla) samples from Bizerte Lagoon, northern Tunisia. For sediment samples, HFR levels ranged from 3.30 to 28.5 ng/g dry weight (dw), with a mean value of 10.6 ± 4.36 ng/g dw, whil… Show more
“…Among the eight detected congeners, the BDE-47 was the predominant congener in all analyzed samples. This finding matched the general pattern observed in other investigations and showing the dominance of the congener BDE-47 in fish samples (Labandeira et al 2007;Ben Ameur et al 2011Barhoumi et al 2014;Mekni et al 2020).…”
Section: Discussionsupporting
confidence: 92%
“…Many anthropogenic activities are installed on coastal areas of the Bizerte Lagoon such as industrial activities and urbanization. Consequently, the runoff and the discharges of industrial and urban wastes both direct and indirect result in the lagoon contamination by several toxic pollutants, namely organo-chlorinated pesticides (Ben Mhadhbi et al 2019), heavy metals (Yoshida et al 2004), halogenated aromatics compounds (e.g., PCBs) (Ben , polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (Trabelsi and Driss 2005), organotins (Abidli et al 2011), and organophosphate flame retardants (Mekni et al 2020).…”
This study aimed to the examination of the levels and effects of organobromine compounds (polybrominated diphenyl ethers: PBDEs and methoxylated brominated diphenyl ethers: MeO-PBDEs), in Sparus aurata native to the Lagoon of Bizerte. For that, different biomarkers of exposure (somatic indices, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activities) and effect (malondialdehyde level, histopathologic alterations, and DNA damage) as well as pollutant levels were measured in specimens collected from this impacted ecosystem and the Mediterranean Sea as a reference site. Bizerte Lagoon PBDE fish levels were higher than the Mediterranean Sea, whereas MeO-PBDEs were higher in the reference site. Fish from Bizerte Lagoon presented a higher hepatosomatic index, lower catalase and superoxide dismutase activity, higher level of malondialdehyde, and higher percentage of DNA tail in comparison to fish from the reference area. The histological study of the liver indicated substantial lesions in fish from the polluted site. The results showed strong positive correlations between the concentrations of the PBDE or MeO-PBDE and the MDA and DNA tail % levels and negative correlations for the activities of enzymes of SOD and CAT. Consequently, these findings could suggest a potential link between exposure to these pollutants and the observed biomarker responses in the Bizerte Lagoon seabream. Taken together, these results highlight the importance of biomarker selection and the selected sentinel fish species as useful tools for biomonitoring of aquatic pollution.
“…Among the eight detected congeners, the BDE-47 was the predominant congener in all analyzed samples. This finding matched the general pattern observed in other investigations and showing the dominance of the congener BDE-47 in fish samples (Labandeira et al 2007;Ben Ameur et al 2011Barhoumi et al 2014;Mekni et al 2020).…”
Section: Discussionsupporting
confidence: 92%
“…Many anthropogenic activities are installed on coastal areas of the Bizerte Lagoon such as industrial activities and urbanization. Consequently, the runoff and the discharges of industrial and urban wastes both direct and indirect result in the lagoon contamination by several toxic pollutants, namely organo-chlorinated pesticides (Ben Mhadhbi et al 2019), heavy metals (Yoshida et al 2004), halogenated aromatics compounds (e.g., PCBs) (Ben , polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (Trabelsi and Driss 2005), organotins (Abidli et al 2011), and organophosphate flame retardants (Mekni et al 2020).…”
This study aimed to the examination of the levels and effects of organobromine compounds (polybrominated diphenyl ethers: PBDEs and methoxylated brominated diphenyl ethers: MeO-PBDEs), in Sparus aurata native to the Lagoon of Bizerte. For that, different biomarkers of exposure (somatic indices, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activities) and effect (malondialdehyde level, histopathologic alterations, and DNA damage) as well as pollutant levels were measured in specimens collected from this impacted ecosystem and the Mediterranean Sea as a reference site. Bizerte Lagoon PBDE fish levels were higher than the Mediterranean Sea, whereas MeO-PBDEs were higher in the reference site. Fish from Bizerte Lagoon presented a higher hepatosomatic index, lower catalase and superoxide dismutase activity, higher level of malondialdehyde, and higher percentage of DNA tail in comparison to fish from the reference area. The histological study of the liver indicated substantial lesions in fish from the polluted site. The results showed strong positive correlations between the concentrations of the PBDE or MeO-PBDE and the MDA and DNA tail % levels and negative correlations for the activities of enzymes of SOD and CAT. Consequently, these findings could suggest a potential link between exposure to these pollutants and the observed biomarker responses in the Bizerte Lagoon seabream. Taken together, these results highlight the importance of biomarker selection and the selected sentinel fish species as useful tools for biomonitoring of aquatic pollution.
“…The watersheds fl owing into the lagoon are aff ected by several anthropogenic pressures resulting from industrial, urbanization and agricultural activities (metallurgical industry, cement works, tire factory pollution, etc.) [14,15]. The industrial pollution is resulting from hy-drocarbons and heavy metals [12,[16][17][18][19] which come from about 400 industrial units which were created as early as the 1950s on the shores of Bizerta lagoon.…”
Section: Urbanization Impact In Bizerta Lagoonmentioning
Bizerta lagoon is an important socio-economic pole in northern Tunisia. Its shores and maritime space host lots of human activities, such as coastal fishing, shellfish farming, maritime traffic, military activity, recreational fishing and nautical sports. These activities cause severe pollution and they result in many anthropogenic disturbances. Naturally, conflicts of interest between the different operators have always existed. However, recently these disagreements, particularly between coastal fishermen and shellfish farmers have degenerated into an act of vandalism in November 2019. Fishermen destroyed all the bivalve farms facilities and productions. This act is the result of the build-up of several factors, notably the spatial interaction between the two activities and the improper practices of the shellfish farmers, which are according to fishermen "the major source of the lagoon pollution". Despite the fact that the Tunisian government has made considerable efforts to solve this issue, mitigate this conflict, and restore shellfish farming activity in the lagoon, this event has had major socio-economical, geo-political, environmental, and technological impacts. Within this framework, the current paper aims to suggest a management plan that should improve the lagoon status and attain the desired sustainable development of all activities. Turning to Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), we propose an Allocated Zone for Aquaculture (AZA), effective governance of the lagoon and fostering of Sustainable Blue Growth (SBG). These proposals are in line with the Tunisian strategies in terms of aquaculture sustainable development, establishment of MSP along the entire Tunisian coastline and the promotion of blue economy. They also meet several sustainable blue development objectives of the United Nations.
“…from a highly contaminated site in southern Italy, and offer new approaches to estimate cancer and non-cancer human health risk due to dermal absorption from contaminated seawater and/ or ingestion of contaminated fish. Mekni et al (2020) examined a mixture of legacy (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) and emerging contaminants, such as halogenated (norbornenes (HNs)) and organophosphate (OPFRs) flame retardants, in sediments and samples of eel (Anguilla anguilla) from the Tunisian Bizerte Lagoon. Chemical behavior at the environmental interfaces has been explored and health risk associated to the consumption of eel has been estimated, offering original methodological approaches to evaluate impacts by new classes of pollutants in the marine environment.…”
Section: Marine Environment and Human Healthmentioning
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