Mercury Contamination in Freshwater, Estuarine, and Marine Fishes in Relation to Small-Scale Gold Mining in Suriname, South America. Mol, J., H., Ramlal, J., S., Lietar, C., & Verloo, M. Environmental Research Section A, 86:183-197, 2001.
Mercury Contamination in Freshwater, Estuarine, and Marine Fishes in Relation to Small-Scale Gold Mining in Suriname, South America [link]Website  abstract   bibtex   
The extent of mercury contamination in Surinamese food Ashes due to small-scale gold min-ing was investigated by determination of the total mercury concentration in 318 freshwater Ashes, 109 estuarine Ashes, and 110 Ashes from the Atlantic Ocean. High background levels were found in the piranha Serrasalmus rhombeus (0.35 g Hg g ؊1 muscle tissue, wet mass basis) and the peacock cich-lid Cichla ocellaris (0.39 g g ؊1) from the Central Suriname Nature Reserve. Average mercury levels in freshwater Ashes were higher in piscivorous spe-cies than in nonpiscivorous species, both in poten-tially contaminated water bodies (0.71 and 0.19 g g ؊1 , respectively) and in the control site (0.25 and 0.04 g g ؊1 , respectively). Mercury concentra-tions in piscivorous freshwater Ashes were signiA-cantly higher in rivers potentially affected by gold mining than in the control site. In 57% of 269 piscivorous freshwater Ashes from potentially con-taminated sites, mercury levels exceeded the max-imum permissible concentration of 0.5 g Hg g ؊1 . The highest mercury concentrations (3.13 and 4.26 g g ؊1) were found in two piranhas S. rhombeus from the hydroelectric reservoir Lake Brokopondo. The high mercury levels in Ashes from Lake Brokopondo were to some extent related to gold mining because Ashes collected at eastern sites (i.e., close to the gold Aelds) showed signiAcantly higher mercury concentrations than Ashes from western localities. In the estuaries, mercury levels in ariid catAsh (0.22 g g ؊1) and croakers (0.04+0.33 g g ؊1) were distinctly lower than those in piscivorous Ashes from contaminated freshwater sites. In the isolated Bigi Pan Lagoon, the piscivores snook Cen-tropomus undecimalis (0.04 g g ؊1) and tarpon Megalops atlanticus (0.03 g g ؊1) showed low mer-cury levels. Mercury levels were signiAcantly high-er in marine Ashes than in estuarine Ashes, even with the Bigi Pan Ashes excluded. High mercury concentrations were found in the shark Mustelus higmani (0.71 g g ؊1), the crevalle jack Caranx hippos (1.17 g g ؊1), and the barracuda Sphyraena guachancho (0.39 g g ؊1), but also in nonpiscivorous species such as Calamus bajonado (0.54 g g ؊1), Haemulon plumieri (0.47 g g ؊1), and Isopisthus par-vipinnis (0.48 g g ؊1). Mercury levels were positively correlated with the length of the Ash in populations of the freshwater piscivores S. rhombeus, Hoplias malabaricus, and Plagioscion squamosissimus, in estuarine species (Arius couma, Cynoscion vires-cens, and Macrodon ancylodon), and in S. guachancho from the Atlantic Ocean.
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 title = {Mercury Contamination in Freshwater, Estuarine, and Marine Fishes in Relation to Small-Scale Gold Mining in Suriname, South America},
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 year = {2001},
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 abstract = {The extent of mercury contamination in Surinamese food Ashes due to small-scale gold min-ing was investigated by determination of the total mercury concentration in 318 freshwater Ashes, 109 estuarine Ashes, and 110 Ashes from the Atlantic Ocean. High background levels were found in the piranha Serrasalmus rhombeus (0.35 g Hg g ؊1 muscle tissue, wet mass basis) and the peacock cich-lid Cichla ocellaris (0.39 g g ؊1) from the Central Suriname Nature Reserve. Average mercury levels in freshwater Ashes were higher in piscivorous spe-cies than in nonpiscivorous species, both in poten-tially contaminated water bodies (0.71 and 0.19 g g ؊1 , respectively) and in the control site (0.25 and 0.04 g g ؊1 , respectively). Mercury concentra-tions in piscivorous freshwater Ashes were signiA-cantly higher in rivers potentially affected by gold mining than in the control site. In 57% of 269 piscivorous freshwater Ashes from potentially con-taminated sites, mercury levels exceeded the max-imum permissible concentration of 0.5 g Hg g ؊1 . The highest mercury concentrations (3.13 and 4.26 g g ؊1) were found in two piranhas S. rhombeus from the hydroelectric reservoir Lake Brokopondo. The high mercury levels in Ashes from Lake Brokopondo were to some extent related to gold mining because Ashes collected at eastern sites (i.e., close to the gold Aelds) showed signiAcantly higher mercury concentrations than Ashes from western localities. In the estuaries, mercury levels in ariid catAsh (0.22 g g ؊1) and croakers (0.04+0.33 g g ؊1) were distinctly lower than those in piscivorous Ashes from contaminated freshwater sites. In the isolated Bigi Pan Lagoon, the piscivores snook Cen-tropomus undecimalis (0.04 g g ؊1) and tarpon Megalops atlanticus (0.03 g g ؊1) showed low mer-cury levels. Mercury levels were signiAcantly high-er in marine Ashes than in estuarine Ashes, even with the Bigi Pan Ashes excluded. High mercury concentrations were found in the shark Mustelus higmani (0.71 g g ؊1), the crevalle jack Caranx hippos (1.17 g g ؊1), and the barracuda Sphyraena guachancho (0.39 g g ؊1), but also in nonpiscivorous species such as Calamus bajonado (0.54 g g ؊1), Haemulon plumieri (0.47 g g ؊1), and Isopisthus par-vipinnis (0.48 g g ؊1). Mercury levels were positively correlated with the length of the Ash in populations of the freshwater piscivores S. rhombeus, Hoplias malabaricus, and Plagioscion squamosissimus, in estuarine species (Arius couma, Cynoscion vires-cens, and Macrodon ancylodon), and in S. guachancho from the Atlantic Ocean.},
 bibtype = {article},
 author = {Mol, Jan H and Ramlal, Joyce S and Lietar, Carlos and Verloo, Marc},
 journal = {Environmental Research Section A}
}

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