Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.2478/10004-1254-65-2014-2551
Dissolved heavy metal determination and ecotoxicological assessment: a case study of the Corumbataí River (São Paulo, Brazil)
Lucineide Aparecida Maranho
; Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia Aquática, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de São Paulo-CENA/USP, Campo Comprido, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
Leila Teresinha Maranho
; Programa de Pós-graduação em Gestão Ambiental, Universidade Positivo-UP, Campo Comprido, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
Rafael Grossi Botelho
; Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia Aquática, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de São Paulo-CENA/USP, Campo Comprido, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
Valdemar Luiz Tornisielo
; Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia Aquática, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de São Paulo-CENA/USP, Campo Comprido, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
Abstract
The aim of this one-year study (August 2009 to July 2010) was to evaluate the Corumbataí River water polluted by anthropogenic sources and see how it affects the reproduction of the microcrustacean Ceriodaphnia dubia (Richard, 1984) in laboratory conditions over seven days of exposure to water samples collected monthly at six different locations. We determined the concentrations of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd), as well as physicochemical parameters such as dissolved oxygen, conductivity, water temperature, and pH. Dissolved oxygen and conductivity demonstrated anthropogenic influence, as dissolved oxygen concentration decreased and conductivity increased from the upstream to the downstream stretch of the river. The effects on C. dubia were observed in the months with high precipitation, but the toxicity cannot be associated with any particular contaminant. Heavy metal levels kept well below the limit values. Zn and Pb had the highest concentrations in the water during the sampling period, probably due to the industrial and agricultural influence. However, these levels do not seem to be associated with precipitation, which suggests that their primary source was industry. Physicochemical parameters, the ecotoxicological assay, and determination of heavy metals proved to be efficient tools to evaluate aquatic environments.
Keywords
Ceriodaphnia dubia; inorganic contaminants; physicochemical parameters; toxicity test; water
Hrčak ID:
126615
URI
Publication date:
11.9.2014.
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