Yacaré Project. UNER/FCAl and UAdER/FCyT., CIC y TTP, CONICET, Dr. Matteri y España, 3105, Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina.
Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. 2009 Dec;83(6):771-5. doi: 10.1007/s00128-009-9866-6. Epub 2009 Sep 26.
The Piracicaba River basin is considered the most disturbed river basin in the state of São Paulo. Considerable amounts of agricultural residues are seasonally drained into the river, and the region is also highly urbanized and industrialized with an incipient sewage treatment system. The presence of heavy metals has been previously reported for the water and riverbed in Piracicaba river basin. In this study we evaluated 13 heavy metals in the blood of 37 Geoffroy's side-necked turtles, Phrynops geoffroanus, from Piracicaba River and Piracicamirim Creek, one of its tributaries. Blood levels of As, Co, Cr, Se and Pb varied among sites, whereas Sn varied between males and females. However, no obvious pathology was detected. Serum level of Cu (2,194 ng g(-1)) and Pb (1,150 ng g(-1)) found in this study are the highest ever described for any reptile; however, no clinical symptoms have been detected in the present study. There is no information about the time scale of such contamination, which could be currently subclinical and yet lead to a breakdown in the population reproductive success in a few years. Based on the present study, legal enforcement is urged in order to locate and extirpate heavy metal sources in the Piracicaba River basin. In addition, monitoring should include humans and commercial fish consumed in local markets.
皮拉西卡巴流域被认为是圣保罗州受干扰最严重的流域。大量的农业残留物季节性地排入河中，该地区高度城市化和工业化，污水处理系统还处于起步阶段。皮拉西卡巴河流域的水和河床中以前就有重金属存在的报道。在这项研究中，我们评估了来自皮拉西卡巴河和皮拉西卡米林姆河（其一条支流）的 37 只罗氏侧颈龟血液中的 13 种重金属。砷、钴、铬、硒和铅的血液水平因地点而异，而锡则因性别而异。然而，没有发现明显的病理学变化。本研究中发现的铜（2194ng/g）和铅（1150ng/g）血清水平是迄今为止任何爬行动物中最高的；然而，本研究并未发现临床症状。关于这种污染的时间尺度尚不清楚，它可能目前处于亚临床状态，但在几年内可能会导致该种群繁殖成功率的崩溃。基于本研究，强烈呼吁执法部门定位和根除皮拉西卡巴流域的重金属污染源。此外，监测应包括当地市场上消费的人类和商业鱼类。
