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Mercury in fish and sediment of Purus River, Acre State, Amazon

2016; Instituto de Estudos em Saúde Coletiva da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Volume: 24; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1590/1414-462x201600030142

2358-291X

Nathália Santos Serrão de Castro, Camila Margalho Braga, Paulo Arthur de Abreu Trindade, Tommaso Giarrizzo, Marcelo de Oliveira Lima,

Heavy metals in environment

Abstract Core subject To quantify the Hg content of sediment and fish collected along the Purus River (Acre State, Amazon) in order to identify if those samples could be a potential route of Hg exposure to the population of Manoel Urbano (a riverside community). Methods The total mercury (THg) was quantified using the Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption technique. Results We collected 06 samples of sediment and 264 samples of fish. The Hg in sediments ranged between 0.038 and 0.065 µg.g–1.The results indicate that sediment is in agreement with “uncontaminated” Amazonian rivers. The carnivorous species presented the highest level of Hg on muscle (mean 0.927 μg/g–1), followed by piscivorous (mean 0.873 μg.g–1), planktophagus (mean 0.566 μg.g–1), omnivorous (mean 0.533 μg.g–1) and detritivorous (mean 0.176 μg/g–1). Fourty four percent (44%) of the total species collected presented mean levels of THg on muscle, a percentage greater than the threshold recommended by WHO. Conclusion Some species may be a route for Hg exposure. The sediment is within the normality. The authors suggest that other factors, such as culture and society, should be considered for future researches in order to promote the population healths.