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An Anaerobic Biosensor Assay for the Detection of Mercury and Cadmium
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Monitoring mercury in fish in a stream system receiving multiple industrial inputs.

M J Peterson1, G R Southworth, W D Crumby

  • 1Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, 37831-6036, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
|November 8, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Small fish like sunfish and minnows effectively indicate mercury pollution from industrial sites. Their mercury levels decreased with distance from pollution sources, showing fish are useful bioindicators.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Ecotoxicology
  • Aquatic Biology

Background:

  • Anthropogenic mercury contamination is a significant environmental concern, particularly in aquatic ecosystems receiving industrial discharges.
  • Assessing mercury bioavailability and identifying pollution sources in stream systems is crucial for environmental protection and human health risk assessment.
  • Small fish species with limited home ranges can serve as effective bioindicators for localized contamination events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the utility of sunfish and minnow species as bioindicators of anthropogenic mercury contamination in an east Tennessee stream system.
  • To identify and assess mercury bioavailability near industrial discharge points and track contamination levels downstream.
  • To compare mercury accumulation in different fish species and monitoring methods (caged vs. resident).

Main Methods:

  • Monitoring of resident bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus) tissue for total mercury concentrations.
  • Deployment of caged blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) in headwater streams to assess mercury uptake over 12 weeks.
  • Comparison of mercury concentrations in fish tissues across different sites, species, and monitoring approaches.

Main Results:

  • Bioavailable mercury was detected in sunfish near industrial facilities, with concentrations decreasing away from the sources.
  • While generally low, mercury concentrations in sunfish exceeded 1 μg/g at some sites.
  • Caged dace showed higher mercury levels than reference streams, and mercury accumulation varied significantly between species and monitoring methods, though site-specific patterns were consistent.

Conclusions:

  • Small, stream-dwelling fish with restricted home ranges are valuable tools for identifying and evaluating mercury bioavailability from industrial and urban sources.
  • The study successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of bioindicator fish in pinpointing mercury contamination hotspots and assessing pollution gradients.
  • Findings highlight the importance of species-specific and method-specific considerations when using fish for mercury bioaccumulation monitoring.