Mercury Contamination in Riverine Sediments and Fish Associated with Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Madre de Dios, Peru

Gerardo Martinez, Stephen A. McCord, Charles T. Driscoll, Svetoslava Todorova, Steven Wu, Julio F. Araújo, Claudia M. Vega and Luis E. Fernandez
Additional contact information
Gerardo Martinez: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Stephen A. McCord: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Charles T. Driscoll: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
Svetoslava Todorova: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
Steven Wu: BioConsortia Inc., Davis, CA 95616, USA
Julio F. Araújo: Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA), Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios 17000, Peru
Claudia M. Vega: Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA), Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios 17000, Peru
Luis E. Fernandez: Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA), Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios 17000, Peru

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-15

Abstract: Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Madre de Dios, Peru, continues to expand rapidly, raising concerns about increases in loading of mercury (Hg) to the environment. We measured physicochemical parameters in water and sampled and analyzed sediments and fish from multiple sites along one ASGM-impacted river and two unimpacted rivers in the region to examine whether Hg concentrations were elevated and possibly related to ASGM activity. We also analyzed the 308 fish samples, representing 36 species, for stable isotopes (δ 15 N and δ 13 C) to estimate their trophic position. Trophic position was positively correlated with the log-transformed Hg concentrations in fish among all sites. There was a lack of relationship between Hg concentrations in fish and either Hg concentrations in sediments or ASGM activity among sites, suggesting that fish Hg concentrations alone is not an ideal bioindicator of site-specific Hg contamination in the region. Fish Hg concentrations were not elevated in the ASGM-impacted river relative to the other two rivers; however, sediment Hg concentrations were highest in the ASGM-impacted river. Degraded habitat conditions and commensurate shifts in fish species and ecological processes may influence Hg bioaccumulation in the ASGM-impacted river. More research is needed on food web dynamics in the region to elucidate any effects caused by ASGM, especially through feeding relationships and food sources.

Keywords: mercury; fish; sediment; artisanal and small-scale gold mining; Madre de Dios; Peruvian Amazon (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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