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Ecotoxicity assessment of a molybdenum mining effluent using acute lethal, oxidative stress, and osmoregulatory endpoints in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

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Abstract

The present study investigated the ecotoxicity of raw mining effluent from the largest molybdenum (Mo) open-pit mine in the Qinling mountains, China, and the treated effluent with neutralization and coagulation/adsorption processes, using zebrafish (Danio rerio). The results showed the following: (1) the mining effluent is acid mine drainage (AMD) and is highly toxic to zebrafish with a 96-h median lethal concentration (LC50) of 3.80% (volume percentage) of the raw effluent; (2) sublethal concentrations of the raw effluent (1/50, 1/10, and 1/2 96-h LC50) induced oxidative stress and osmoregulatory impairment, as reflected by the alterations in activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase and contents of malondialdehyde, and inhibition of Na+, K+-ATPase activity in gills and muscle after 28 days of sub-chronic exposure when compared with the unexposed group; and (3) the treatment of the raw effluent with neutralizer (NaOH) and adsorbent activated carbon reduced the acute lethal effect of raw effluent. The used endpoints including acute lethal and biochemical parameters related to oxidative stress and osmoregulatory impairment in zebrafish are cost-effective for toxicity assessment of AMD like the studied Mo mining effluent. Mining effluent management strategies extended by these results, i.e., the restriction of discharging raw and diluted effluent to adjacent waterways and the introduction of bio-monitoring system across all mining drainages in this area, were also proposed and discussed.

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All data generated during this study are included in this published article.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Aaron Ellison for the valuable suggestions and language editing on the manuscript. We also appreciate the editor and reviewers for their valuable comments that greatly improved the manuscript.

Funding

The study was financed by the Science and Technology Service Network Initiative (STS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KFJ-EW-STS-124). Dong Chen received financial support from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) Joint PhD Training Program (2017-71).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 97 Yanxiang Road, Xi’an, 710061, Shaanxi, China

    Dong Chen, Jing Zhang & Yi-ping Chen

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Dong Chen & Jing Zhang

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  1. Dong Chen
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  2. Jing Zhang
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  3. Yi-ping Chen
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Yi-ping Chen designed the experiments. Dong Chen, Jing Zhang, and Yi-ping Chen all executed the work, analyzed the data, wrote the manuscript, and approved the final version for submission.

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Correspondence to Yi-ping Chen.

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All the animal experiments were performed in accordance with the local regulation of Guidelines on Laboratory Animals in Shaanxi, China (Decree No.150 of the People’s Government of Shaanxi Province, 2011).

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Chen, D., Zhang, J. & Chen, Yp. Ecotoxicity assessment of a molybdenum mining effluent using acute lethal, oxidative stress, and osmoregulatory endpoints in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 5137–5148 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10841-w

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