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Mercury human exposure through fish consumption in a reservoir contaminated by a chlor-alkali plant: Babeni reservoir (Romania)

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Abstract

Purpose

Chlor-alkali plants are one of the most important point sources of mercury to aquatic environment. The problem of Hg contamination has been studied in a region, Rm Valcea (Romania), impacted by the wastewater discharge of a chlor-alkali plant. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the current status of mercury pollution in the Babeni reservoir (Olt River) and the exposure of local population via fish consumption to mercury originating from the chlor-alkali plant.

Methods

Sediments were collected from Valcea, Govora and Babeni reservoirs. Grain size distribution, organic content and total mercury (THg) concentrations were analysed in sediments. Fish were purchased from local anglers, and the scalp hair was collected from volunteers. THg in sediment, fish and hair samples was determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer for Hg determination. Monomethylmercury (MMHg) was analysed in the muscle and liver tissues by species-specific isotope dilution and capillary gas chromatography hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer.

Results

High mercury concentrations were found in the sediments and in fish from Babeni reservoir, with a median of 2.1 mg/kg (IQR = 3.2) in sediments and a mean value of 1.8 ± 0.8 mg/kg_ww in fish muscle. MMHg concentrations in fish were well above the WHO guidelines for fish consumption. Local population consuming fish from the Babeni reservoir had THg concentrations in hair significantly higher than those consuming fish from upstream reservoirs and/or from the shops and reached a median value of 2.5 mg/kg (IQR = 3.6).

Conclusions

The remnant pollution in the fish of this reservoir, and probably many other lakes and reservoirs receiving Hg polluted wastewater, represents a considerable health risk for the local fish consumers.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the Romanian Ministry for Education and Research within the framework of the Swiss–Romanian cooperation programme on Environmental Science and Technology in Romania ESTROM. The reported study was performed in the project ORSED, focusing on environmental sediment contamination in the Olt River reservoirs in Romania. Presented results were obtained with a help of researchers from the Geoecomar (Bucharest) and the University of Cluj. Help in the fieldwork and geochemical data is gratefully acknowledged to the National Administration Apele Romana Olt. Special thanks to our colleagues, which helped in the fieldwork and laboratory analyses: Vincent Chanudet and Pierre-Alain Chevalley.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forel Institut, 10 Route Suisse, 1290, Versoix, Switzerland

    Andrea Garcia Bravo, Jean-Luc Loizeau & Janusz Dominik

  2. IPREM-LCABIE, CNRS UMR, 5254, Hélioparc, 2 av P Angot, Pau, France

    Sylvain Bouchet & David Amouroux

  3. Institut Terre-Nature-Paysage, 150 Rte de Presinge, 1254, Jussy, Switzerland

    Alexandre Richard & Jean Francois Rubin

  4. Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, 6 Traian Vuia st, 020956, Bucharest, Romania

    Viorel-Gheorge Ungureanu

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  1. Andrea Garcia Bravo
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  2. Jean-Luc Loizeau
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Correspondence to Andrea Garcia Bravo.

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Bravo, A.G., Loizeau, JL., Bouchet, S. et al. Mercury human exposure through fish consumption in a reservoir contaminated by a chlor-alkali plant: Babeni reservoir (Romania). Environ Sci Pollut Res 17, 1422–1432 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-010-0328-9

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