Lanctôt C, Wilson S P, Fabbro L, Leusch F D L, Melvin S D
Central Queensland University, School of Medical and Applied Sciences, Gladstone, Qld 4680, Australia; Smart Water Research Centre, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Southport, Qld 4215, Australia.
Central Queensland University, School of Medical and Applied Sciences, Gladstone, Qld 4680, Australia.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2016 Jul;129:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2016.03.003. Epub 2016 Mar 9.
Coal excavation and refinement processes generate substantial volumes of contaminated effluent that may be detrimental to aquatic ecosystems. As such, understanding the impacts of coal mine water releases on aquatic animals and ecosystems is essential for effectively managing and protecting neighboring environments. Such information will ultimately be applied towards developing ongoing monitoring strategies that are protective of native wildlife. Despite intensive mining operations in Australia, few studies have documented toxicity associated with coal mine wastewater (CMW) on native species. To address existing knowledge gaps, we investigated acute toxicity (48-96h) using eight native invertebrate species and sub-chronic effects (2 week) using three vertebrate species following exposure to wastewater from two dams (CMW1 and CMW2) located at an open-cut coal mine licensed to discharge into the Fitzroy catchment (Queensland, Australia). Wastewater from these sites is characterized by elevated conductivity, pH, sulfates as well as relatively high total and dissolved metal(loid)s (including As, Al, B, Cu, Mn, Ni, Se and Zn). Acute exposures revealed cladocerans (Daphnia carinata) and planarians (Dugesia sp.) to be the most sensitive species, exhibiting significant mortality after 48 and 96h exposure to CMW2, respectively. Neither wastewater was found to elicit acute toxicity in vertebrates, but a range of sub-lethal morphological effects were observed following the sub-chronic exposures. The overall response pattern was characterized by decreased condition factor and hepatosomatic index in the fish Hypseleotris compressa and Pseudomugil signifier, and in Limnodynastes peronii tadpoles. Tadpoles were generally more sensitive compared to the two fish species. Differences in responses were observed amongst CMW1 and CMW2, which likely relates to differences in physico-chemical properties between sites. Our results have identified several candidate vertebrate and invertebrate species that show promise for ongoing monitoring of water quality and toxicity risk in Central Queensland, Australia.
煤炭开采和提炼过程会产生大量受污染的废水，这些废水可能对水生生态系统有害。因此，了解煤矿排水对水生动物和生态系统的影响对于有效管理和保护周边环境至关重要。这些信息最终将用于制定保护本地野生动物的持续监测策略。尽管澳大利亚有密集的采矿作业，但很少有研究记录煤矿废水（CMW）对本地物种的毒性。为了填补现有知识空白，我们使用了8种本地无脊椎动物物种研究急性毒性（48 - 96小时），并使用3种脊椎动物物种研究亚慢性影响（2周），这些动物暴露于位于一个露天煤矿的两个水坝（CMW1和CMW2）的废水，该煤矿被许可向菲茨罗伊集水区（澳大利亚昆士兰州）排放废水。这些地点的废水具有电导率、pH值、硫酸盐升高以及总金属和溶解金属（包括砷、铝、硼、铜、锰、镍、硒和锌）相对较高的特征。急性暴露显示，枝角类动物（隆线溞）和涡虫（真涡虫属）是最敏感的物种，分别在暴露于CMW2 48小时和96小时后出现显著死亡。两种废水均未在脊椎动物中引发急性毒性，但在亚慢性暴露后观察到一系列亚致死形态学效应。总体反应模式的特征是，压缩 Hypseleotris、细纹拟唇鱼和佩氏沼蟾蝌蚪的状况因子和肝体指数下降。蝌蚪通常比这两种鱼类更敏感。在CMW1和CMW2之间观察到反应差异，这可能与各地点物理化学性质的差异有关。我们的结果确定了几种候选脊椎动物和无脊椎动物物种，它们有望用于持续监测澳大利亚昆士兰州中部的水质和毒性风险。
