Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, USA.
School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, USA.
Sci Rep. 2021 Aug 27;11(1):17303. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-96244-4.
Contaminated drinking water is an important public health consideration in New England where well water is often found to contain arsenic and other metals such as cadmium, lead, and uranium. Chronic or high level exposure to these metals have been associated with multiple acute and chronic diseases, including cancers and impaired neurological development. While individual metal levels are often regulated, adverse health effects of metal mixtures, especially at concentrations considered safe for human consumption remain unclear. Here, we utilized a multivariate analysis that examined behavioral outcomes in the zebrafish model as a function of multiple metal chemical constituents of 92 drinking well water samples, collected in Maine and New Hampshire. To collect these samples, a citizen science approach was used, that engaged local teachers, students, and scientific partners. Our analysis of 4016 metal-mixture combinations shows that changes in zebrafish behavior are highly mixture dependent, and indicate that certain combinations of metals, especially those containing arsenic, cadmium, lead, and uranium, even at levels considered safe in drinking water, are significant drivers of behavioral toxicity. Our data emphasize the need to consider low-level chemical mixture effects and provide a framework for a more in-depth analysis of drinking water samples. We also provide evidence for the efficacy of utilizing citizen science in research, as the broader impact of this work is to empower local communities to advocate for improving their own water quality.
受污染的饮用水是新英格兰地区一个重要的公共卫生关注点，因为井水通常含有砷和其他金属，如镉、铅和铀。慢性或高水平接触这些金属会导致多种急性和慢性疾病，包括癌症和神经发育受损。虽然个别金属的含量通常受到监管，但金属混合物对健康的不良影响，尤其是在被认为对人类消费安全的浓度下，仍然不清楚。在这里，我们利用多元分析方法，研究了 92 个取自缅因州和新罕布什尔州的饮用井水样中多种金属化学成分对斑马鱼模型行为结果的影响。为了收集这些样本，采用了公民科学方法，让当地教师、学生和科学合作伙伴参与其中。我们对 4016 种金属混合物组合的分析表明，斑马鱼行为的变化高度依赖于混合物，并且表明某些金属组合，尤其是含有砷、镉、铅和铀的金属组合，即使在饮用水中被认为是安全的水平下，也是行为毒性的重要驱动因素。我们的数据强调了需要考虑低水平的化学混合物效应，并为更深入地分析饮用水样本提供了一个框架。我们还提供了利用公民科学进行研究的有效性的证据，因为这项工作的更广泛影响是赋予当地社区权力，促使他们改善自己的水质。
