US EPA

7432461 

Journal Article 

Microcystins (cyanobacteria hepatotoxins) bioaccumulation in fish and crustaceans from Sepetiba Bay (Brasil, RJ) 

Magalhães, VF; Marinho, MM; Domingos, P; Oliveira, AC; Costa, SM; Azevedo, LO; Azevedo, SM; , 

2003 

1 

Toxicon
ISSN: 0041-0101
EISSN: 1879-3150 

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD 

OXFORD 

42 

3 

289-295 

English 

14559080 

10.1016/s0041-0101(03)00144-2 

WOS:000185217300009 

https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0041010103001442
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Blooms of cyanobacteria in water bodies cause serious environmental problems and the occurrence of toxic strains are also related with the human health. Aquatic animals could bioaccumulate microcystins (cyanobacteria hepatotoxins) and so, beyond water, the ingestion of contaminated food represents a human health risk. Recently, WHO recommended a maximum concentration of microcystins (MCYSTs) in drinking water and established the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for consumption of cyanobacteria products contends MCYSTs (0.04 microg(-1) kg(-1) day(-1)). Sepetiba Bay is located in the municipal districts of Rio de Janeiro, Mangaratiba and Itaguai; being an important place of fishing activity. Due to the industrial development in the area, this bay is submitted to different environmental impacts, increasing the organic and industrial pollution. A strain of the nanoplanktonic cyanobacteria Synechocystis aquatilis f. aquatilis that produce MCYSTs was already isolated. In this study, we verified MCYSTs presence in muscle tissue of fish and crustaceans, which were harvested monthly in Sepetiba Bay during 11 months, in order to evaluate the potential risk of their ingestion. MCYSTs were analyzed by immunoassay techniques using the ELISA Microcystin Plate Kit (ENVIROLOGIX INC) and the concentration were expressed as microcystin-LR equivalent. The analyses of seston samples, water, muscle tissues showed the presence of this cyanotoxin in all samples and it was verified that 19% of the animals' samples were above the limit recommended by WHO for human consumption. The maximum value found was of 103.3 microg kg(-1) (TDI 0.52 microg kg(-1) day(-1)) and the minimum, was 0.25 microg kg(-1) in crabs muscle tissue (TDI of 0.001 microg kg(-1) day(-1)). Such data demonstrate that, although in low concentrations, there is already a contamination of fish and crustaceans from Sepetiba Bay. We highlight that the recommended limit refers to healthy adult. 

Bioaccumulation; Cyanobacteria; Harmful algae; Microcystin; cyanoginosin; animal tissue; article; bioaccumulation; Brazil; concentration (parameters); Crustacea; Cyanobacterium; fish; food contamination; food intake; health hazard; immunoassay; ingestion; muscle tissue; nonhuman; phytoplankton; priority journal; sea food; statistical significance; world health organization; algae; Animalia; Crustacea; Cyanobacteria; Decapoda (Crustacea); Synechocystis