Erhai Watershed Ecological Environment Quality Testing Engineering Research Center of Yunnan Provincial Universities, Erhai Research Institute, West Yunnan University of Applied Sciences, Dali, CN-671006, China.
College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, CN-266003, China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2024 Sep;31(45):56473-56481. doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-34947-7. Epub 2024 Sep 13.
Erhai Lake, a highland lake situated in Southwest China, provides critical aquatic protein sources for the local community, and its preservation is vital due to the sensitivity of alpine freshwater ecosystems to disturbance. However, there is a lack of research on the contamination status of methylmercury (MeHg) in aquatic organisms of the Erhai Lake Basin. MeHg concentrations in important commercial fish species from the Erhai Lake were examined, and the potential health risks associated with human consumption were assessed. Our results showed significant inter-species differences in fish muscle MeHg: the carnivorous S. asotus exhibited the highest level (303 ng/g; ww), while that of the detritivorous R. ocellatus was the lowest (3.86 ng/g). Moreover, MeHg concentrations in P. fulvidraco and C. auratus collected from the Luoshi River (a major tributary of Erhai Lake) were significantly higher compared to those from the Erhai Lake, indicating possible river-based input of MeHg into the Erhai Lake. Additionally, our study revealed a significant positive correlation between the MeHg levels and the length as well as weight of the examined fish species. All the fish species analyzed in our study had MeHg concentrations within the limits of China's food safety standard. Nevertheless, a relatively low consumption quantity of 16 g per day of certain species (i.e., S. asotus) may still pose potential health risks especially for children. The present study provides baseline data for MeHg monitoring and risk assessment in the Erhai Lake Basin, and warrants continued monitoring and source investigation.
洱海是中国西南地区的一个高原湖泊，为当地社区提供了重要的水生蛋白来源，由于高山淡水生态系统对干扰很敏感，保护洱海至关重要。然而，目前对于洱海流域水生生物中甲基汞（MeHg）的污染状况还缺乏研究。本研究检测了洱海重要商业鱼类物种中的 MeHg 浓度，并评估了人类食用相关的潜在健康风险。研究结果表明，鱼类肌肉中 MeHg 的物种间存在显著差异：肉食性的鱇浪白鱼（S. asotus）表现出最高水平（303ng/g；ww），而底栖食碎屑性的云南光唇鱼（R. ocellatus）则最低（3.86ng/g）。此外，来自洱海主要支流罗时江的黄颡鱼（P. fulvidraco）和滇池金线鲃（C. auratus）肌肉中的 MeHg 浓度明显高于洱海的同种鱼，表明可能有 MeHg 通过河流输入洱海。此外，本研究还发现 MeHg 水平与所检测鱼类的长度和重量之间存在显著的正相关关系。本研究分析的所有鱼类物种的 MeHg 浓度均在中国食品安全标准范围内。然而，某些物种（如鱇浪白鱼）每天食用 16 克的低摄入量仍可能对儿童等特定人群构成潜在健康风险。本研究为洱海流域 MeHg 监测和风险评估提供了基线数据，需要持续监测和来源调查。
