The present study was conducted to examine the contamination of rivulet situated at Kasimpur, Aligarh (27.218° N; 79.378° E). It receives the wastewater of Harduaganj Thermal Power Plant (HTPS) containing fly ash and heavy metals. Among the heavy metals estimated in the rivulet water, Fe (8.71 mgL-1) was present in the highest concentration followed by Cu (0.86 mgL-1), Zn (0.30 mgL-1) Mn (0.21 mgL-1), Ni (0.12 mgL-1), Co (0.11 mgL-1) and Cr (0.10 mgL-1). The values for the heavy metals such as Fe, Ni and Mn were beyond the limits set by UNEPGEMS. Bioaccumulation of these heavy metals was detected in tissues such as gills, liver, kidney, muscle and integument of the fish Mastacembelus armatus. Accumulation of Fe (213.29 – 2601.49 mgkg-1.dw) was highest in all the organs. Liver was the most influenced organ and integument had the least metal load. The accumulation of Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn, observed in the tissues were above the values recommended by FAO/WHO. Biochemical estimation related to blood glucose, liver and muscle glycogen conducted showed significant (p < 0.01) elevation in blood glucose content over control (17.73%), whereas liver glycogen dropped significantly (p < 0.01) over control (−89.83%), and similarly muscle glycogen also decreased significantly (p < 0.05) over control (−71.95%), suggesting enhanced glycolytic capacity to fuel hepatic metabolism. Histopathological alterations were also observed in selected organs (gills, liver and kidney) of Mastacembelus armatus.

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Assessment of heavy metal (Cu, Ni, Fe, Co, Mn, Cr, Zn) pollution in effluent dominated rivulet water and their effect on glycogen metabolism and histology of Mastacembelus armatus

Since polluted environments contain mixtures of different contaminants, the aim of this study was to investigate the time-integrated uptake of individual metals by a freshwater teleost, Tilapia sparrmanii following exposure to a metal mixture containing Cu, Fe and Zn. The metal concentrations used during the bioassays were chosen to represent ecologically relevant concentrations as found in the Olifants River, Kruger National Park, South Africa. The concentrations used in the bioassay were 0.16 mg·l-1, 4.3 mg·l-1 and 1.003 mg·l-1 for Cu, Fe and Zn respectively. Gill, plasma and liver were sampled at 0, 2, 4, 6, 12, 24, 24, 48, 72, 96 h and four weeks. Gill tissue is the initial site of accumulation of water-borne metals. Although the fish were exposed to a metal mixture, the interactions between metals and the external gill surface, as well as the subsequent uptake rate, were associated with the particular chemical properties of individual metals. The tendency of the individual metals in the metal mixture to bind to the external gill surface via ionic bonds, and to gill cytosolic compounds via covalent bonds, was Cu > Fe > Zn. The ensuing uptake rates into the extracellular compartment (blood) and intracellular compartment (liver tissue) were Zn > Fe > Cu. The toxic effects of Cu and Fe were, therefore, primarily exerted on the gill surface and in the gill cytosol, whereas the toxic action of Zn was primarily limited to the internal organs. WaterSA Vol.27(1) 2001: 99-108

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Uptake and distribution of a copper, iron and zinc mixture in gill, liver and plasma of a freshwater teleost, Tilapia sparrmanii

Investigations on the accumulation of heavy metals (Cu, Ni, Fe, Co, Mn, Cr and Zn) were carried out three commercially important fishes namely Channa punctatus (murrel), Clarias gariepinus (cat fish) and Labeo rohita (carp). The accumulation was observed in tissues of muscles, liver, kidney, gills, and Integument. The results revealed that the Fe and Zn concentrations were the highest in all tissues analyzed, followed by Ni, Cu, Co, Mn and Cr in almost all the three species. In the muscles of Channa punctatus the order of accumulation is Fe >Zn > Ni > Cu > Co> Mn, whereas in Clarias gariepinus itwasFe>Zn>Ni >Cu=Mn>Co>Cr. In Labeo rohita the pattern of accumulation was Zn> Fe > Ni > Cu > Co > Mn. The order of accumulation of heavy metals was similar in murreIand cat fish.

Accumulation of heavy metals in fishes: A human health concern

Rapid industrialization results in the production of huge amounts of solid and/or liquid wastes, which is usually discharged into the nearby water bodies, leading to the damage of the important ecosystems and seafood products Therefore, the present overview aims to highlight the issue of pollution of aquatic ecosystems and fish health Heavy metals are widely used in every industrial application; therefore, they form the core group of pollutants of any industrial discharge Some of the heavy metals such as Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Cr are essential as they form the cofactor for many of the enzymes and also needed in metabolic activities On the contrary, their exceeding amount is also detrimental to both animals and human beings Based on the current review, it has been observed that to monitor the health of indicator organism (fish), battery of bioassays or biomarkers are required In addition to this rationale of using the few selected parameters such as condition indices, bioaccumulation, blood biochemistry, marker enzymes of tissue damage, oxidative stress, genotoxicity and histopathology in describing, the aquatic pollution has also been emphasized All these parameters are significantly affected by heavy metals and hence proved as useful tools in biomonitoring or toxicity assessment studies Since fishes are consumed by large mass of population due to their high protein and polyunsaturated fatty acid content, human health is also under danger

An Overview of the Adverse Effects of Heavy Metal Contamination on Fish Health

1.Top predators such as crocodiles often reflect ecosystem degradation. The recent spate of close to 200 Nile crocodile deaths may reflect the ecosystem state of the Olifants–Letaba River system in the Kruger National Park. This paper investigates whether the crocodile deaths were indeed the consequence of a rare and perhaps acute event given the variability in annual population growth rates of crocodilians.
2.Spotlight- and helicopter-based surveys designed to correct for availability and detectability bias were used to estimate population sizes of crocodiles from 2008 to 2010 in and around the Olifants River Gorge, the focal area of crocodile deaths.
3.Correction factors derived from individually observed crocodiles for both spotlight- and helicopter-based counts were lower than those typically used for Nile crocodiles as well as other crocodile species. Even so, corrected spotlight- and helicopter-based estimates were comparable and the number of crocodiles in the focal study area declined significantly from 780 (95% CI: 637–1222) to between 460 (spotlight estimate, 95% CI 375–665) and 505 (aerial estimate, 95% CI: 559–1746) during the period of crocodile deaths. The average annual decline of 35% was at the lower end of the distribution of annual population growth rates across the rivers of Kruger National Park.
4.The crocodile deaths reflect a possible rare event that suggests a degraded crocodile population, possibly the consequences of broad-scale cascades of environmental deterioration of the Olifants–Letaba River system.
5.Even so, the potential risk of local demise of the population in the focal study area in the short term may be diminished through evolutionary, demographic and spatial resilience inherent within crocodiles that can accommodate the as yet unknown disease dynamics of pansteatitis. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Degradation of the crocodile population in the Olifants River Gorge of Kruger National Park, South Africa

The bioaccumulation of chromium, copper, iron and manganese by Oreochromis mossambicus was investigated at two localities (Mamba and Balule) in the lower Olifants River, inside the boundaries of the Kruger National Park. The Cr, Cu, Fe and Mn concentrations, recorded in the tissues of O. mossambicus at Mamba and Balule, did not differ much from each other. However, it was generally found that the highest accumulation of metals by the fish occurred at Mamba, except for iron, where the opposite occurred. The metals investigated during this study mainly accumulated in the liver and gills, followed by the skin, and lastly the muscle.

Chromium, copper, iron and manganese bioaccumulation in some organs and tissues of Oreochromis mossambicus from the lower Olifants River, inside the Kruger National Park

J. Robinson

Papers

Chromium, copper, iron and manganese bioaccumulation in some organs and tissues of Oreochromis mossambicus from the lower Olifants River, inside the Kruger National Park