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Bioaccumulation and Toxicity of Dissolved Heavy Metals from the Guadalquivir Estuary After the Aznalcóllar Mining Spill Using Ruditapes philippinarum

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Abstract

The shore clam Ruditapes philippinarum was used as a biomonitoring organism to measure the potential impact that the mining spill in the Guadalquivir Estuary (SW, Spain) in 1998 may have exerted on local biota. Individuals were exposed to dissolved cadmium, copper, and zinc at concentrations found in local waters after the spill (3 μg · L−1 Cd, 15 μg · L−1 Cu, 700 μg · L−1 Zn) at two salinity values: 10 and 35. Residues of metals were measured in gill and digestive gland, together with metallothioneins in the digestive gland and histopathological lesions in gill, digestive gland, and gonad tissues over time. Heavy metals Zn and Cd associated with the mining spill, were bioaccumulated in clam tissues, associated with the activation of metallothioneins, and related to the histopathological lesions measured at all the clam tissues. The heavy metal Cu not related to the spill was not directly associated with effects measured. The bioaccumulation and adverse effects associated with Cd and Zn were significantly higher at low salinity (10) than at high salinity (35) values.

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Acknowledgment

The authors thank Dr. John Roitz for critically reading an earlier version of the manuscript. This research was partially supported by Consejería de Medio Ambiente de la Junta de Andalucía, Convenio 8: impacto en el estuario and by grant REN2002-01699 from the Spanish National Plan for research, innovation, and development (Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología). We would like to thank Dr. Inma Riba for her help during the metal quantification and to Natalia Jiménez, Agustin Santos, and Milagrosa Oliva for their assistance during the histopathological procedures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Cc. del Mar y Ambientales, Campus Río San Pedro s/n, 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain

    M. Laura Martín-Díaz & T. Ángel DelValls

  2. Instituto de Cc. Marinas de Andalucía, Campus Río Pedro s/n, 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain

    Julián Blasco

  3. Departamento de Biología Animal y Fisiología, Facultad de Cc. del Mar y Ambientales, Campus Río San Pedro s/n, 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain

    Marisa González de Canales

  4. Dpto. Ingeniería Química, Tecnología de los Alimentos y Tecnología del Medio Ambiente, Facultad de Cc. Del Mar y Ambientales, Campus Río San Pedro s/n, 11510, Puerto Real, Spain

    Diego Sales

Authors
  1. M. Laura Martín-Díaz
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  2. Julián Blasco
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  3. Marisa González de Canales
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  4. Diego Sales
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  5. T. Ángel DelValls
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Correspondence to T. Ángel DelValls.

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Martín-Díaz, M.L., Blasco, J., de Canales, M.G. et al. Bioaccumulation and Toxicity of Dissolved Heavy Metals from the Guadalquivir Estuary After the Aznalcóllar Mining Spill Using Ruditapes philippinarum. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 48, 233–241 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-003-9202-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-003-9202-9

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