University of Córdoba, Carrera 6 No. 76-103, Montería, Córdoba, Colombia.
Environmental Chemistry Department, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDÆA-CSIC, E-08034, Barcelona, Spain.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2021 May;199(5):2022-2030. doi: 10.1007/s12011-020-02308-3. Epub 2020 Aug 17.
Sea cucumbers are fished worldwide for export to Asia, but few studies have evaluated metal pollution and risk assessment. This study assessed concentration of trace metals and the potential ecological risk in sea cucumber (Holothuria floridana) and sediments at the Cispatá Bay, in the Caribbean Coast of Colombia. The trace metal concentrations in biota and sediments showed a similar decreasing trend as follows: Cu > Zn > Hg > Pb > Cd. The highest bioconcentration factor was found for Hg, and according to the sediment quality guidelines, Cu levels indicate adverse biological effects in the ecosystem. In this regard, Cu levels were higher than effects range low and the threshold effect levels (TEL) and lowest effect level in all the stations, whereas Hg levels were higher than TEL in most of them. Results for health risk assessment based on the maximum allowable daily consumption rate (CR) suggest that there is no risk to adults; however, children should limit or avoid its consumption. Results from multivariate statistical analysis suggest that agricultural activities (i.e., application of fertilizers and agrochemicals) were identified as the main anthropogenic sources of metal pollution. This research suggest that sea cucumber could be used as a bioindicator species in studies of monitoring metal contamination, with special attention to the highly significant correlation between Zn in tissue and sediments. This study also reveals that anthropic activities may have negative effects in the quality of the sediments of the bay and contributing to the knowledge of metal accumulation in sea cucumber.Graphical abstract.
海参在全球范围内捕捞并出口到亚洲，但很少有研究评估金属污染和风险评估。本研究评估了哥伦比亚加勒比海岸 Cispatá 湾海参（Holothuria floridana）和沉积物中痕量金属的浓度和潜在生态风险。生物和沉积物中的痕量金属浓度表现出相似的递减趋势，如下所示：Cu > Zn > Hg > Pb > Cd。Hg 的生物浓缩系数最高，根据沉积物质量指南，Cu 水平表明生态系统存在不利的生物影响。在这方面，Cu 水平高于所有站点的效应范围低值和阈值效应水平 (TEL) 和最低效应水平，而 Hg 水平在大多数站点中高于 TEL。基于最大允许日摄入量 (CR) 的健康风险评估结果表明，成年人没有风险；然而，儿童应限制或避免食用。多元统计分析的结果表明，农业活动（即肥料和农药的施用）被确定为金属污染的主要人为来源。本研究表明，海参可作为监测金属污染研究中的生物指标种，特别注意组织和沉积物中 Zn 的高度显著相关性。本研究还表明，人为活动可能对海湾沉积物的质量产生负面影响，并有助于了解海参对金属的积累。
