Trophic transfer of persistent organic pollutants through a pelagic food web: The case of Lake Como (Northern Italy)

Mazzoni, Michela; Boggio, Emanuela; Manca, Marina; Piscia, Roberta; Quadroni, Silvia; Bellasi, Arianna; Bettinetti, Roberta

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.307

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Apart from occasional inputs related to sediment flushing from reservoirs, the current decreasing trend of DDx could be interrupted in the future by complete overturns of the lake water column during cold winters. The higher DDx concentrations detected in zooplankton compared to zooplanktivorous fish (a thermodynamic paradox in terms of bioaccumulation) from lakes Maggiore [42,43], Iseo [44], and Como [45] confirmed that the abiotic and biotic lake ecosystem components are still in unsteady condition. Although DDx are lipophilic compounds, they were detected along the pelagic water column of Lake Maggiore from 2003 to 2009, with a homogenization of the contamination starting from the end of 2006, in absence of hydrological events such as the extent of water circulation or the occurrence of significant river floods transporting polluted soils and river sediments into the lake [42].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…In 2003, concentrations of DDx in the sediments from the Lake Maggiore outlet reached levels (4786 µg/kg) exceeding the threshold for harmful effects on aquatic organisms [35]. However, zooplankton samples collected from lakes Maggiore, Como and Iseo [42][43][44][45] did not exceed the pp'DDE concentration causing the impairment of the grazing activity of Daphnia magna (24 ng/mg dw) or the lowest observed effect concentration for fecundity reduction (109 ng/mg dw) [47]. Moreover, potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects of DDx due to the daily consumption of skinless and boneless fillet of shad from Lake Como could be excluded [22].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Monitoring and Management of Inland Waters: Insights from the Most Inhabited Italian Region

et al. 2022

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Monitoring of freshwaters allows the detection of the impacts of multiple anthropic uses and activities on aquatic ecosystems, and an eco-sustainable management of natural resources could limit these impacts. In this work, we highlighted two main issues affecting inland waters, referring to findings from the most inhabited Italian region (Lombardy, approximately 10 M inhabitants): the first issue is lake pollution by old generation pesticides, the second is river development for hydropower. In both cases, some management strategies reducing the anthropic impacts on freshwaters were discussed: organic farming and biocontrol as an alternative to diffuse pollution by agrochemicals; environmental flows and controlled sediment flushing operations to limit the hydropower impact on rivers. Although the two mentioned issues were discussed separately in this paper, the management of water resources should be carried out in a comprehensive way, accounting for the multiple impacts affecting freshwater ecosystems, including those related to the climate changes.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring and Management of Inland Waters: Insights from the Most Inhabited Italian Region

et al. 2022

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“…There are about 1400 known pesticides [ 48 ]. Some pesticides such as DDT have long been banned in some countries, however, bioaccumulation is still detected in some streams due to the lasting effects of the chemical compounds [ 91 ]. Therefore, rigorous monitoring standards and regulations need to be adhered to across national borders [ 82 ].…”

Section: Environmental Chemical Contaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical Contamination Pathways and the Food Safety Implications along the Various Stages of Food Production: A Review

Lebelo

Malebo

Mochane

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Historically, chemicals exceeding maximum allowable exposure levels have been disastrous to underdeveloped countries. The global food industry is primarily affected by toxic chemical substances because of natural and anthropogenic factors. Food safety is therefore threatened due to contamination by chemicals throughout the various stages of food production. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the form of pesticides and other chemical substances such as Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) have a widely documented negative impact due to their long-lasting effect on the environment. This present review focuses on the chemical contamination pathways along the various stages of food production until the food reaches the consumer. The contamination of food can stem from various sources such as the agricultural sector and pollution from industrialized regions through the air, water, and soil. Therefore, it is imperative to control the application of chemicals during food packaging, the application of pesticides, and antibiotics in the food industry to prevent undesired residues on foodstuffs. Ultimately, the protection of consumers from food-related chemical toxicity depends on stringent efforts from regulatory authorities both in developed and underdeveloped nations.

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“…The last determination of DDT and PCB concentrations in zooplankton in Lake Iseo, dating back to 2010, showed that current DDT concentrations are lower, while PCB concentrations are stable [34]. In Lake Como, the comparison with older data showed a decrease in the concentrations of both organo-halogenated compounds [11,35], but there are not enough data to claim a significant decreasing trend.…”

Section: Concentrations Of Organic Contaminantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Changes in resource availability and environmental conditions (the decrease of food availability or the increase of metabolic costs) can lead to changes in trophic interactions [46]. For example, δ15N‰ of all zooplanktonic species changed along the years, increasing in the cold seasons, as shown in [35]. During spring and summer, phytoplankton is easily available and filter feeders rely on this food source, while, during autumn and winter, they need to eat also bacteria, protozoa, or organic particles to obtain enough energy to live.…”

Section: Role Of Zooplankton Size and Seasonality On Contaminant Levelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic Contaminants in Zooplankton of Italian Subalpine Lakes: Patterns of Distribution and Seasonal Variations

Pascariello

Mazzoni

Bettinetti

et al. 2019

Water

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Zooplankton is a key node in many trophic webs, both for food that for persistent organic contaminants that can accumulate in biota. Zooplankton of different size was seasonally sampled for two years in three deep Italian subalpine lakes (Maggiore, Como, Iseo) with the aim of determining the concentrations of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), DDT, and PCB, and assessing the seasonality impacts on contaminants concentrations. In general, Lake Maggiore showed the highest concentrations for each group of contaminants, with mean values of 7.6 ng g −1 ww for PFAS, 65.0 ng g −1 dw for DDT, and 65.5 ng g −1 dw for PCB. When considering the composition pattern, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was detected in 96% of the samples and it was the predominant PFAS compound in all of the lakes. pp' DDE was the most detected congener among DDTs and their metabolites, while for PCBs, the prevalent group was hexa-CB that constituted 35.4% of the total PCB contamination. A seasonal trend was highlighted for all contaminant groups with concentrations in colder months greater than in spring and summer; it was evident that the contaminant concentrations were more dependent from seasonality than from size, trophic levels, and taxa composition of zooplankton. Principal component analysis showed that one of the main driver for the accumulation of most of the studied contaminants is their lipophilicity, except for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and octachlorobiphenyl.

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Trophic transfer of persistent organic pollutants through a pelagic food web: The case of Lake Como (Northern Italy)

Cited by 17 publications

References 43 publications

Monitoring and Management of Inland Waters: Insights from the Most Inhabited Italian Region

Monitoring and Management of Inland Waters: Insights from the Most Inhabited Italian Region

Chemical Contamination Pathways and the Food Safety Implications along the Various Stages of Food Production: A Review

Organic Contaminants in Zooplankton of Italian Subalpine Lakes: Patterns of Distribution and Seasonal Variations

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