scholarly journals A statistical and spatial analysis of chemical contaminants in Cocos Lagoon, Guam

Author(s):  
Char'Mane Robinson ◽  
Andrew Mason

Cocos Lagoon is located on the southwestern end of the coast of Guam, and contains extensive coral reefs and an array of fish species. Within the Lagoon is a former US Coast Guard LORAN station on Cocos Island. Hazardous materials appear to have been disposed of on land and in near shore waters during the operation of the LORAN station, between the years of 1944 and 1963, exposing surrounding waters, sediment, fish species and humans to these materials. As part of a project to quantify chemical contaminants in Cocos Lagoon, and to address local and agency human health concerns, approximately 190 chemical contaminants were analyzed in sediments from 25 sites, along with 27 fish tissue samples from 16 sites. Higher levels of chemical contaminants were found in fish tissues collected from around Cocos Island, the site of the former LORAN station. Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), for example, were above an EPA recreational fishers’ screening value (SV) in some fish species from around Cocos Island, indicating risk to humans consuming fish from this area. PCBs at high concentrations are known to cause negative effects on resident marine aquatic organisms and human health concerns include cancer. Characterizing contaminant impacts to aquatic marine organisms and possible human health results from this project will provide resource managers with key information needed to make effective decisions for the health of Cocos Lagoon and also gauge the efficacy of restoration activities. The results show high levels of PCBs in the fish species from Coco Lagoon. This indicates that there is a high risk of adverse health effects such as cancer if consumed by humans.

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 737-743
Author(s):  
Igor Massahiro de Souza Suguiura ◽  
Rafaela Macagnan ◽  
Aline Myuki Omori ◽  
Elder Luis Buck ◽  
Josiane Aniele Scarpassa ◽  
...  

Abstract The thermodimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the etiological agent of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), a deep mycosis endemic in Latin American countries that affects mainly male rural workers. Infection by P. brasiliensis has also been reported in several species of terrestrial animals; however, the capacity of the fungus to infect aquatic organisms is poorly known. The aim of this study was to detect P. brasiliensis in a fish species, Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), the most farmed and widely distributed fish in endemic areas for human PCM in Brazil. As a first step, the humoral immune response against the fungus was evaluated in an experimental group of three fish immunized with inactivated P. brasiliensis yeast cells. For the seroepidemiological study, serum samples of Nile tilapia raised in cages (n = 109) and in ponds (n = 105), collected from a fish slaughterhouse, were analyzed for P. brasiliensis antibodies by ELISA using gp43 as antigen. All the inoculated fish produced antibodies against the fungus. The seropositivity observed in fish raised in cages and ponds was 17.4 and 5.7%, respectively. Due to the higher seropositivity observed in caged fish, 100 tissue samples (encephalon, liver, and kidney), from another group of tilapia raised in cages, were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR; Pb-ITSR and Pb-ITSE). Three tissue samples (liver n = 1, kidney n = 1, and enchepahlon n = 1) from three different fish resulted positive to PCR. This is the first report to show serological and molecular evidence of P. brasiliensis infection in a fish species.


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-29
Author(s):  
M Sharma ◽  
R Gandotra ◽  
S Jangral

The present study estimated the concentration (in ppm) of heavy metals of Zn, Fe, Cu and Pb in water samples and edible tissue of Labeo boga; both collected from the non polluted (Station I) and polluted (Station II) locations of river Tawi, Jammu, India. The mean concentration of heavy metals (Zn, Fe, Cu, Pb) at Station I were 0.048±0.008 (ppm); 0.016±0.001 (ppm); 0.157±0.002 (ppm) and 0.0001±0.0001 respectively; while at Station II, these values were 0.133±0.001 (ppm); 0.022±0.002 (ppm); 0.206±0.002 (ppm) and 0.002±0.001 (ppm) respectively; the statistical difference between the stations were significantly higher (p<0.05). The order of heavy metal load obtained in water samples at both the stations was found to be Fe>Zn>Cu>Pb. Also, the mean bioaccumulation of heavy metals viz. Zn, Fe, Cu and Pb in the edible tissue of fish at Station I was found to be 0.374±0.011 (ppm), 0.105±0.02 (ppm); 0.094±0.04 (ppm) and0.001±0.0001 (ppm) respectively; on the other hand, mean bioaccumulation was 0.539±0.013 (ppm); 0.156±0.04 (ppm); 0.121±0.023 (ppm) and 0.0013±0.0001 (ppm) respectively at Station II. Even though bioaccumulation of the heavy metals in the experimental sites did not exceed the acceptable limits recommended by the agencies like FAO and WHO, the present results showed an increasing trend of the accumulation, which definitely poses a serious threat to the survival of aquatic organisms in the study area. J. Bio-Sci. 29(2): 19-29, 2021 (December)


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1880
Author(s):  
Mayada R. Farag ◽  
Mahmoud Alagawany ◽  
Rana M. Bilal ◽  
Ahmed G. A. Gewida ◽  
Kuldeep Dhama ◽  
...  

Pesticides are chemicals used to control pests, such as aquatic weeds, insects, aquatic snails, and plant diseases. They are extensively used in forestry, agriculture, veterinary practices, and of great public health importance. Pesticides can be categorized according to their use into three major types (namely insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides). Water contamination by pesticides is known to induce harmful impacts on the production, reproduction, and survivability of living aquatic organisms, such as algae, aquatic plants, and fish (shellfish and finfish species). The literature and information present in this review article facilitate evaluating the toxic effects from exposure to various fish species to different concentrations of pesticides. Moreover, a brief overview of sources, classification, mechanisms of action, and toxicity signs of pyrethroid insecticides in several fish species will be illustrated with special emphasis on Cypermethrin toxicity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-143
Author(s):  
MA Mondol ◽  
AMM Hosain ◽  
S Sultana ◽  
S Marzia ◽  
MA Islam ◽  
...  

Worldwide, tobacco is one of the leading causes of disability and death. Over a million of pounds of toxic chemicals are released by tobacco products. This study aims to explore the effects of tobacco toxicants on human health and environmental pollution. Four districts (Dhaka, Kushtia, Chattogram and Rangpur) were selected where most of the tobacco product grown. Total 468 respondents were interviewed face-to-face using structured questionnaire to assess the knowledge about toxicant content in tobacco and health and environmental hazards of tobacco use. Survey results revealed that about 44.4% respondents used smoking tobacco products and 38.5% used smokeless tobacco, while only 17.1% used both. About two third (74.3%) of smoking tobacco users started smoking when they were between 15 to 24 years old and majority (61.6%) of smokeless tobacco users started tobacco when they were between 30 to 35 years above. Tobacco product has large impacts on health of young smokers. Smokers are suffering from various acute and chronic diseases. Among the respondents, 38% indicated that they were suffering from hypertension. The second most affected disease was COPD/Asthma (31.6%), while cancer was the least suffering disease (0.4%). Majority of the respondents were not aware about the presence of toxicants (i.e. nicotine, tar and metals) in tobacco products. However, 85.1% tobacco users had an idea about environmental pollution. There is a lack of knowledge among the survey respondents about toxicants in tobacco products that are linked to health hazards and environmental pollution. These results are important in strengthening existing policy considering adverse health effects of toxicants examined. Progressive Agriculture 31 (3): 130-143, 2020


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