Abstract
To assess the safety for human consumption of commercially important bivalves harvested from areas with or without mining activities, we compared the levels of heavy metals in mollusks collected from different coastal environments along the Gulf of California. We sampled the mussel Mytilus edulis and the clams Laevicardium elatum and Megapitaria squalida (June 2004) and the clam Chione californiensis (November 2006). Concentrations of cadmium, lead, nickel, zinc, iron, copper, and manganese in the soft tissue of the mollusks were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Based on dry weight, the highest average concentrations of iron, copper, and cadmium were found in clams from Loreto (572, 181, and 4.66 mg/kg, respectively); that of nickel, in mussels from San Luquitas (12.2 mg/kg); that of zinc, both in mussels from San Luquitas and in clams from Golfo de Santa Clara (94.3 and 91.8 mg/kg, respectively); and those of lead and manganese in clams from the Golfo de Santa Clara (9.2 and 3.68 mg/kg, respectively). Although mollusks were taken from coastal areas of the Gulf of California, which are considered to be contaminated by mining activities, the heavy metals in the sediments apparently were in a chemical form that had low bioavailability for the bivalves feeding in those areas. The interplay of oceanographic conditions and the chemical composition of anthropogenic inputs into the environment is not well understood. Thus, these factors or their interaction could potentially result in increased concentration and bioavailability of such metals in areas without effluent generated by mining activities.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anónimo (1994) Carta Nacional Pesquera de México, Instituto Nacional de la Pesca, Ciudad de México
Anónimo (2002) Carta Nacional Pesquera de México, Instituto Nacional de la Pesca, Ciudad de México
ANZFA (2000) Generally expected levels (GELs) for metal contaminants: guidelines for retailers and enforcement officers. Australia New Zealand Food Authority, Canberra
Arreola-Lizárraga JA, Padilla-Arredondo G, Burrola-Sánchez MS, Urias-Laborin D, Dorado-Villanueva F, Hernández-Ibarra A, López-Tapia MR, Méndez-Rodríguez LC, Acosta B (2001) Diagnóstico de la contaminación marina de la bahía de Guaymas, Sonora y proximidades. Informe técnico Secretaria de Marina-CIBNOR, Guaymas, México
Daesslé LW, Ramos SE, Carriquiry JD, Camacho-Ibar VF (2002) Clay dispersal and the geochemestry of manganese in the Northen Gulf of California. Cont Shelf Res 22:1311–1323. doi:10.1016/S0278-4343(02)00007-9
Escandon VF (1995) Génesis de los yacimientos polimetálicos del boleo, Santa Rosalía, Baja California Sur. Academia Mexicana de Ingeniería, México
FDA (2003) Guide for the control of molluscan shellfish. Chapter II Growing areas. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Washington, DC
Frías-Espericueta MG, Osuna-López JI, López-Saenz PJ, López-López G, Izaguerre-Fierro G (2004) Heavy metals in surface sediments from Huizache-Caimanero lagoon, Northwest coast of México. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 73:749–755. doi:10.1007/s00128-004-0489-7
García-Hernández J, King AK, Velazco LA, Shumilin E, Mora AM, Glenn EP (2001) Selenium, selected inorganic elements, and organochlorine pesticides in bottom material and biota from the Colorado River Delta. J Arid Environ 49:65–89. doi:10.1006/jare.2001.0836
Giusti L, Wiliamson AC, Mistry A (1999) Biologically available trace metals in Mytilus edulis from the coast of northeast England. Environ Inter 25(8):969–981. doi:10.1016/S0160-4120(99)00066-5
Maanan M (2007) Heavy metal concentration in marine molluscs from the Moroccan coastal region. Environ Pollut 153:173–186
Maanan SS, Ritchie GSP (1995) Forms of cadmium in sandy soils after amendment with soils of higher fixing capacity. Environ Pollut 87:23–29. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(99)80004-9
Méndez L, Acosta B, Alvarez-Castañeda ST, Lechuga-Devéze CH (1998) Trace metal distribution along the southern coast of Bahía de La Paz (Gulf of California), México. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 61:616–620. doi:10.1007/s001289900805
Méndez L, Salas-Flores M, Arreola-Lizárraga A, Alvarez-Castañeda ST, Acosta B (2002) Heavy metals in clams from Guaymas Bay, Mexico. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 68:217–223. doi:10.1007/s001280241
Méndez L, Palacios E, Acosta B, Monsalvo-Espencer P, Alvarez-Castañeda T (2006) Heavy metals in the clam Megapitariaa squalida from wild and phosphorite mine impacted sites in Baja California, Mexico. Biol Trace Element 110:1–13. doi:10.1385/BTER:110:1:1
Otchere FA (2003) Heavy metals concentrations and burden in the bivalves (Anadara (Senilia) seniles; Crassostrea tulipa and Perna perna) from lagoons in Ghana: model to describe mechanisms of accumulation/excretion. Afr J Biotechnol 2:280–287
Páez-Osuna F, Izaguerre-Fierro G, Godoy-Meza RI, Gonzáles-Farias F, Osuna-López JI (1988) Metales pesados en cuatro especies de organismos filtradores de la región costera de Mazatlán: Técnicas de extracción y niveles de concentración. Contam Ambient 4:33–41
Páez-Osuna F, Zazueta-Padila MH, Izaguerre Fierro G (1991) Trace metals in bivalves from Navachiste Lagoon, Mexico. Mar Pollut Bull 22:305–307. doi:10.1016/0025-326X(91)90809-7
Páez-Osuna F, Osuna-Lopez JI, Izaguerre-Fierro G, Zazueta-Padilla HM (1993) Heavy metals in clams from subtropical coastal lagoon associated with an agricultural drainage basin. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 50:915–921
Páez-Osuna F, Frías-Espericueta MG, Osuna-López JI (1995) Trace metal concentration in relation to seasonal and gonadal maturation in the oyster Cassostrea iridescens. Marine Env Res 1:19–31. doi:10.1016/0141-1136(94)00004-9
Riley JP (1989) Los elementos mas abundantes y menores en el agua de mar. In: Riley JP, Chester R (eds) Introducción a la química marina. AGT SA, México, p 459
Rodríguez-Figueroa G, Shumilin E, Páez-Osuna F, Nava-Sánchez E, Sapozhnikov D (1998) Ocurrencia de metales y metaloides en sedimentos superficiales de cuatro abanicos-deltas de la costa oriental de Baja California Sur. Actas INAGEQ 4:43–50
Ruelas-Insunza JR, Páez-Osuna F (2000) Comparative bioavailability of trace metals using three filter-feeder organisms in a subtropical coastal environment (Southeast Gulf of California). Environ Pollut 107:437–444. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(99)00157-8
Segovia-Zavala JA, Delgadillo-Hinojosa F, Vidal-Talamantes R, Muñoz-Barbosa A, Gutierrez-Galindo EA (1998) Mytilus californianus transplanted as upwelling bioindicators to two areas off Baja California, México. Ciencias Mar 29:665–675
Shumilin EN, Green-Ruiz D, Sapozhnikov D, Rodríguez-Meza D, Páez-Osuna F (1998) Asociaciones geoquímicas y patrones de distribución espacial de metales y metaloides en los sedimentos superficiales de la laguna de La Paz, Baja California Sur. Actas INAGEQ 4:23–32
Shumilin EN, Rodríguez-Figueroa G, Morton-Bermea O, Lounejeva-Baturina E, Hernández E, Rodríguez-Meza D (2000) Anomalous trace element composition of coastal sediments near the copper mining district of Santa Rosalia, peninsula of Baja California, Mexico. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 65:261–268. doi:10.1007/s001280000123
Shumilin E, Páez-Osuna F, Green-Ruiz C, Sapozhnikov D, Rodríguez-Meza GD, Godínez-Orta L (2001) Arsenic, Antimony, Selenium and other trace elements in sediments of the La Paz lagoon, peninsula of Baja California México. Mar Poll Bull 42(3):174–178. doi:10.1016/S0025-326X(00)00123-5
Shumilin EN, Carriquiry JD, Camacho-Ibar VF, Sapozhnikov D, Kalmykov S, Sánchez A, Aguiñiga-García S, Sapozhnikov YA (2002) Spatial and vertical distributions of elements in sediments of the Colorado River delta and Upper Gulf of California. Mar Chem 79:113–131. doi:10.1016/S0304-4203(02)00059-2
Soto-Jiménez MF, Páez-Osuna F (2001) Distribution and normalization of heavy metal concentrations in mangrove and lagoonal sediments from Mazatlán harbor (SE Gulf of California). Est Coastal Shelf Sci 53:259–274. doi:10.1006/ecss.2000.0814
Tkalin AV, Presley BJ, Boothe PN (1996) Spatial and temporal variations of trace metals in bottom sediments of Peter the Great Bay, the Sea of Japan. Environ Pollut 92:73–78. doi:10.1016/0269-7491(95)00083-6
Vahter M, Berglund M, Nermell B, Akesson A (1996) Bioavailability of cadmium from shellfish and mixed diet in women. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 136:332–341. doi:10.1006/taap.1996.0040
Yap CK, Ismail A, Tan SG (2004) Heavy metal (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) concentrations in green-lipped mussel Perna pirividis (Linnaeus) collected from some wild and aquacultural sites in the west coast of peninsular Malaysia. Food Chem 84:569–575. doi:10.1016/S0308-8146(03)00280-2
Acknowledgments
This work was carried out with the financial support of (Grant C01-1425) from the Mixed Fund of the Secretaría del Medio Ambiente and the Consejo Nacional de Tecnología of Mexico for the project, “Biogeochemical Evaluation of the Heavy Metals in the Marine Environment of the Santa Rosalia Mining District (B.C.S.).” This project is under the direction of Eugene Choumiline. The authors thank Melania Lopez-Castro and Veronica Yakoleff for editing the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cadena-Cárdenas, L., Méndez-Rodríguez, L., Zenteno-Savín, T. et al. Heavy Metal Levels in Marine Mollusks from Areas With, or Without, Mining Activities Along the Gulf of California, Mexico. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 57, 96–102 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-008-9236-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-008-9236-0