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Distribution of Mercury in Several Environmental Compartments in an Aquatic Ecosystem Impacted by Gold Mining in Northern Colombia

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Abstract

Mercury (Hg) used in gold amalgamation is a major source of contamination in developing countries. Water, sediments, plankton, fish, and human samples from Grande Marsh, a Hg-polluted marsh located in the south of Bolívar, municipality of Montecristo, Colombia, were collected during both the rainy and the dry seasons (2003–2006), at three different sampling sites, and analyzed for total Hg (T-Hg) content. Water, sediment, seston, phytoplankton, and zooplankton T-Hg concentrations were 0.33 ± 0.03 μg/L, 0.71 ± 0.03, 1.20 ± 0.06, 0.52 ± 0.03, and 0.94 ± 0.05 μg/g dry weight (wt), respectively. T-Hg levels in these compartments were highly pair-correlated (p < 0.05), and for all of them, except sediments, greater values were found during the dry season. Significant differences were observed for T-Hg concentrations in fish according to their trophic position. Average highest T-Hg values were found in carnivorous species such as Caquetaia kraussi (1.09 ± 0.17 μg/g fresh wt), Hoplias malabaricus (0.58 ± 0.05 μg/g fresh wt), and Plagioscion surinamensis (0.53 ± 0.07 μg/g fresh wt), whereas the lowest were detected in noncarnivorous species such as Prochilodus magdalenae (0.157 ± 0.01 μg/g fresh wt). In those fish species where seasonal comparisons were possible, specimens captured during the dry season had greater T-Hg levels in muscle. Although the T-Hg mean level for all fish samples (0.407 ± 0.360 μg/g fresh wt) did not exceed the recommended limit ingestion level, risk assessment based on the hazard index suggested that a fish intake of 0.12 kg per day (a small carnivorous specimen) could increase the potential health effects related to Hg exposure in the local human population, whose hair T-Hg median value was 4.7 μg/g, and presented a low but significant correlation with fish consumption (r = 0.250, p = 0.016). In short, Hg pollution from gold mining around Grande Marsh has permeated the food web, and currently levels in fish represent a serious concern for human health.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Universidad de Cordoba, Montería (Grant 011-2003), the Universidad de Cartagena, Cartagena, and Colciencias, Bogotá, Colombia (Grant 1107-04-16346), for their financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Water, Applied and Environmental Chemistry Group, University of Córdoba, Montería, Colombia

    Jose Marrugo-Negrete

  2. Department of Chemistry, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia

    Luis Norberto Benitez

  3. Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, University of Cartagena, Campus of Zaragocilla, Cartagena, Colombia

    Jesús Olivero-Verbel

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  1. Jose Marrugo-Negrete
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  2. Luis Norberto Benitez
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Correspondence to Jesús Olivero-Verbel.

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Marrugo-Negrete, J., Benitez, L.N. & Olivero-Verbel, J. Distribution of Mercury in Several Environmental Compartments in an Aquatic Ecosystem Impacted by Gold Mining in Northern Colombia. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 55, 305–316 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-007-9129-7

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