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High accumulation of metals and metalloids in the liver of the blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus) during a massive mortality event induced by a mine tailing spill

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Abstract

In this study, the concentration of six metal(loid)s was examined in the fish Oreochromis aureus collected from El Comedero dam during a massive mortality event induced by a mine tailing spill. A major spill (~ 300,000 m3) of waste was released into the San Lorenzo River System following a rupture in the tailing dam of a mining plant in NW Mexico; consequently, the discharged material flowed into El Comedero dam. The accumulation of metal(oid)s in the tissues of O. aureus showed higher levels in the liver than in the guts and muscle. Concentrations in the liver were high (As, 1.1–1063; Cd, 8.9–392; Cu, 372–59,129; Hg, 0.46–19.79; Se, 8.7–748; and Zn, 116–820 μg g−1), revealing that these fish were exposed to high concentrations of these elements. The mortality of fish could have resulted from the combined effect of the six analyzed metal(loid)s, as well as other residues present in mine tailings.

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The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was carried out with the collaboration of the fishermen of El Comedero dam Jorge Zazueta, Miguel Urrea, and Pedro Murguía. Authors thank H. Bojórquez-Leyva for his assistance in the analytical work.

Funding

Work supported by the Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico, Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (DGAPA, PAPIIT, UNAM) Project IN203922 titled “Metales, metaloides y microplásticos en organismos de importancia ecológica y comercial de la eco-región del Golfo de California”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar Y Limnología, Unidad Académica Mazatlán, P.O. Box 811, 82000, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    F. Páez-Osuna & G. Valencia-Castañeda

  2. Miembro de El Colegio de Sinaloa, Antonio Rosales 435 Poniente, Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    F. Páez-Osuna

  3. Unidad Académica de Ingeniería en Tecnología Ambiental, Universidad Politécnica de Sinaloa, Carretera Municipal Libre Mazatlán-Higueras km. 3, C.P. 82199, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    M. E. Bergés-Tiznado

  4. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar Y Limnología, Av. Ciudad Universitaria 3000, 04510, Coyoacán, Mexico, Mexico

    M. G. Fregoso-López, J. A. León-Cañedo & J. F. Fierro-Sañudo

  5. Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Paseo Claussen S/N Col. Centro, 82000, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    J. A. León-Cañedo, S. G. Alarcón-Silvas & J. Ramírez-Rochín

  6. Universidades Para El Bienestar Benito Juárez García-Sede Etchojoa, Localidad Buaysiacobe, Etchojoa, Sonora, Mexico

    J. F. Fierro-Sañudo

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  1. F. Páez-Osuna
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Contributions

All authors contributed to this work. FPO conceived the ideas and designed the research; Formal analysis: MEBT, MGFL, GVC, JALC, SGAS, JFFS, JRR; Funding acquisition: FPO; Methodology: MEBT, MGFL, GVC, JALC, SGAS, JFFS, JRR; Investigation: FPO; Resources and Supervision: FPO; Writing – original draft: FPO; Writing – review & editing: FPO, MEBT.

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Páez-Osuna, F., Bergés-Tiznado, M.E., Fregoso-López, M.G. et al. High accumulation of metals and metalloids in the liver of the blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus) during a massive mortality event induced by a mine tailing spill. Environ Geochem Health 45, 3155–3169 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-022-01399-2

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