Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Impact of Impoundment on Mercury Bioaccumulation in Fish Downstream from a Newly Constructed Reservoir, Wujiang River, Southwest China

  • Published:
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Mercury concentrations in fish were investigated downstream from a newly impounded subtropical reservoir in August 2008. After 6–7 months of reservoir impoundment, mean mercury concentration in fish from downstream is significantly increased by 1.9 times. Not only carnivorous fish but also benthic fish had significantly higher total mercury concentrations than others. No significant correlation was found between total mercury concentrations and body length or weight of 13 fish species. Compared with the pre-impoundment, total mercury in fish from downstream is significantly increased by reservoir impoundment, but the increased rate is lower than those in subarctic and temperate areas. Fish samples surpassed the Chinese hygienic standard for tolerances of mercury in foods increased by 4.3%. More attention should be given to fish mercury levels from downstream sites to prevent possible adverse effects on the health of local people.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abernathy AR, Cumbie PM (1977) Mercury accumulation by largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in recently impounded reservoirs. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 17(5):595–602

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson MR (2011) Duration and extent of elevated mercury levels in downstream fish following reservoir creation. River Syst 19(3):167–176

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bodaly RA, Hecky RE, Fudge RJP (1984) Increases in fish mercury levels in lakes flooded by the Churchill River Diversion, Northern Manitoba. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 41:682–691

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bodaly RA, St. Louis VL, Paterson MJ, Fudge RJP, Hall BD, Rosenberg DM, Rudd JW (1997) Bioaccumulation of mercury in the aquatic food chain in newly flooded areas. Met Ions Biol Syst 34:259–287

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bodaly RA, Jansen WA, Majewski AR, Fudge RJP, Strange NE, Derksen AJ, Green DJ (2007) Postimpoundment time course of increased mercury concentrations in fish in hydroelectric reservoirs of northern Manitoba, Canada. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 53(3):379–389

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bonsignore M, Salvagio Manta D, Oliveri E, Sprovieri M, Basilone G, Bonanno A, Falco F, Traina A, Mazzola S (2013) Mercury in fishes from Augusta Bay (southern Italy): risk assessment and health implication. Food Chem Toxicol 56:184–194

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Canavan CM, Caldwell CA, Bloom NS (2000) Discharge of methylmercury-enriched hypolimnetic water from a stratified reservoir. Sci Total Environ 260:159–170

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cox JA, Carnahan J, DiNunzio J, McCoy J, Meister J (1979) Source of mercury in fish in new impoundments. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 23:779–783

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gu B, Bian Y, Miller CL, Dong W, Jiang X, Liang L (2011) Mercury reduction and complexation by natural organic matter in anoxic environments. PNAS 108:1479–1483

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guimarãesa JRD, Meili M, Malm O, de Souza Brito EM (1998) Hg methylation in sediments and floating meadows of a tropical lake in the Pantanal floodplain, Brazil. Sci Total Environ 213:165–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gustin MS, Lindberg S, Marsik F, Casimir A, Ebinghaus R, Edwards G, Hubble-Fitzgerald C, Kemp R, Kock H, Leonard T, London J, Majewski M, Montecinos C, Owens J, Pilote M, Poissant L, Rasmussen P, Schaedlich F, Schneeberger D, Schroeder W, Sommar J, Turner R, Vette A, Wallschlaeger D, Xiao Z, Zhang H (1999) Nevada STORMS project: measurement of mercury emissions from naturally enriched surfaces. J Geophys Res 104(D17):21831–21844

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hecky RE, Ramsey DJ, Bodaly RA, Strange NE (1991) Increase methylmercury contamination in fish in newly formed freshwater reservoirs. In: Suzuki T, Imura N, Clarkson TW (eds) Advance in mercury toxicology. Plenum Press, New York, pp 33–52

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hylander LD, Gröhn J, Tropp M, Vikström A, Wolpher H, de Castro e Silva E, Meili M, Oliveira LJ (2006) Fish mercury increase in Lago Manso, a new hydroelectric reservoir in tropical Brazil. J Environ Manage 81:155–166

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ikingura JR, Akagi H (2003) Total mercury and methylmercury levels in fish from hydroelectric reservoirs in Tanzania. Sci Total Environ 304:355–368

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang H, Feng X, Dai Q, Wang Y (2004) Preliminary study on speciation and distribution of mercury in Wujiang River. Environ Chem 23(5):556–561 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang H, Feng X, Dai Q (2005) Damming effect on the distribution of mercury in Wujiang River. Chin J Geochem 24(2):179–183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jonsson S, Andersson A, Nilsson MB, Skyllberg U, Lundberg E, Schaefer JK, Åkerblom S, Björn E (2017) Terrestrial discharges mediate trophic shifts and enhance methylmercury accumulation in estuarine biota. Sci Adv 3:e1601239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kasper D, Fernandes E, Palermo A, Branco CWC, Malm O (2012) Evidence of elevated mercury levels in carnivorous and omnivorous fishes downstream from an Amazon reservoir. Hydrobiologia 694:87–98

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kasper D, Forsberg BR, Amaral JHF, Leitão RP, Py-Daniel SS, Bastos WR, Malm O (2014) Reservoir stratification affects methylmercury levels in river water, plankton, and fish downstream from Balbina Hydroelectric Dam, Amazonas, Brazil. Environ Sci Technol 48:1032–1040

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khaniki GRJ, Alli I, Nowroozi E, Nabizadeh R (2005) Mercury contamination in fish and public health aspect: a review. Pak J Nutr 4(5):276–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li S, Zhou L, Wang H, Liang Y, Hu J, Chang J (2009) Feeding habits and habitats preferences affecting mercury bioaccumulation in 37 subtropical fish species from Wujiang River, China. Ecotoxicology 18:204–210

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li S, Zhou L, Wang H, Xiong M, Yang Z, Hu J, Liang Y, Chang J (2013) Short-term impact of reservoir impoundment on the patterns of mercury distribution in a subtropical aquatic ecosystem, Wujiang River, Southwest China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20:4396–4404

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Xu X, Yu S, Cheng H, Hong Y, Feng X (2014) Mercury pollution in fish from South China Sea: levels, species-specific accumulation, and possible sources. Environ Res 131:160–164

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lodenius M, Seppänen A, Herranen M (1983) Accumulation of mercury in fish and man from reservoirs in Northern Finland. Water Air Soil Pollut 19(3):237–246

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mason RP, Sveinsdottir AY (2003) Mercury and methylmercury concentrations in water and largemouth bass in Maryland reservoirs. Final Report submitted to Maryland Department of Natural Resources, CBWP-MAN7A-AD-03-1

  • Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China (MOH) (1994) Hygienic standard for tolerances of mercury in foods. GB 2762-1994

  • Porvari P (1998) Development of fish mercury concentrations in Finnish reservoir from 1979 to 1994. Sci Total Environ 213:279–290

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Potter L, Kidd D, Standiford D (1975) Mercury levels in Lake Powell bioamplification of mercury in man-made desert reservoir. Environ Sci Technol 9(1):41–46

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pouilly M, Pérez T, Rejas D, Guzman F, Crespo G, Duprey J-L, Guimarães J-RD (2012) Mercury bioaccumulation patterns in fish from the Iténez river basin, Bolivian Amazon. Ecotox Environ Saf 83:8–15

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schetagne R, Verdon R (1999) Post-impoundment evolution of fish mercury levels at the La Grande Complex, Québec, Canada (from 1978 to 1996). In: Lucotte M, Schetagne R, Thérien N, Langlois C, Tremblay A (eds) Mercury in the biogeochemical cycle. Springer, Berlin, pp 115–130

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Schetagne R, Doyon JF, Fournier JJ (2000) Export of mercury downstream from reservoirs. Sci Total Environ 260:135–145

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scheuhammer A, Braune B, Chan HM, Frouin H, Krey A, Letcher R, Loseto L, Noël M, Ostertag S, Ross P, Wayland M (2015) Recent progress on our understanding of the biological effects of mercury in fish and wildlife in the Canadian Arctic. Sci Total Environ 509–510:91–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simoneaua M, Lucottea M, Garceaua S, Laliberté D (2005) Fish growth rates modulate mercury concentrations in walleye (Sander vitreus) from eastern Canadian lakes. Environ Res 98:73–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith FA, Sharma RP, Lynn RI, Low JB (1974) Mercury and selected pesticide levels in fish and wildlife of Utah: II. Levels of mercury, DDT, DDE, dieldrin and PCB in chukars, pheasants and waterfowl. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 12(2):153–157

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stafford CP, Hansen B, Stanford JA (2004) Mercury in fishes and their diet items from Flathead Lake, Montana. Trans Am Fish Soc 133:349–357

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thomann RV (1989) Bioaccumulation model of organic chemical distribution in aquatic food chains. Environ Sci Technol 23:699–707

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tran L, Reist JD, Power M (2015) Total mercury concentrations in anadromous Northern Dolly Varden from the northwestern Canadian Arctic: a historical baseline study. Sci Total Environ 509–510:154–164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuomola L (2005) Mercury levels in fish five years after construction of Lago Manso Reservoir, Brazil. Examensarbete I biologi, Uppsala University, Sweden, 28 pp

  • Tuomola L, Niklasson T, de Castro e Silva E, Hylander LD (2008) Fish mercury development in relation to abiotic characteristics and carbon sources in a six-year-old, Brazilian Reservoir. Sci Total Environ 390(1):177–187

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (2010) Guidance for implementing the January 2001 methylmercury water quality criterion. EPA 823-R-10-001

  • Verdon R, Brouard D, Demers C, Lalumiere R, Laperle M, Schetagne R (1991) Mercury evolution (1978–1988) in fishes of the La Grande hydroelectric complex, Quebec, Canada. Water Air Soil Pollut 56:405–417

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (WHO) (1990) Environmental health criteria 101: methylmercury, International Programme of Chemical Safety. International Programme of Chemical Safety, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Xue J, Zartarian V, Mintz B, Weber M, Bailey K, Geller A (2015) Modeling tribal exposures to methyl mercury from fish consumption. Sci Total Environ 533:102–109

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yao H, Feng X, Guo Y, Yan H, Fu X, Li Z, Meng B (2011) Mercury and methylmercury concentrations in two newly constructed reservoirs in the Wujiang River, Guizhou, China. Environ Toxicol Chem 30(3):530–537

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yingcharoen D, Bodaly RA (1993) Elevated mercury levels in fish resulting from reservoir flooding in Thailand. Asian Fish Sci 6:73–80

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51509169 and 51409178).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Ecological Impacts of Hydraulic-Projects and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystem of Ministry of Water Resources, Institute of Hydroecology, Ministry of Water Resources and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430079, People’s Republic of China

    Sixin Li, Lianfeng Zhou, Jianbo Chang, Zhi Yang, Juxiang Hu & Wang Hongjun

Authors
  1. Sixin Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lianfeng Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jianbo Chang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Zhi Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Juxiang Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Wang Hongjun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sixin Li.

Ethics declarations

Animal Rights

All research on animal subjects presented in this research was conducted in accordance with national and institutional ethical research standards for the care and use of laboratory animals.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Li, S., Zhou, L., Chang, J. et al. The Impact of Impoundment on Mercury Bioaccumulation in Fish Downstream from a Newly Constructed Reservoir, Wujiang River, Southwest China. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 73, 570–577 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-017-0419-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-017-0419-4

Search

Navigation