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Toxics
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The Impact of Heavy Metals on Aquatic Ecosystems
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The Impact of Heavy Metals on Aquatic Ecosystems

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Metals and Radioactive Substances".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 14 February 2025 | Viewed by 6068

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jason T. Magnuson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
United States Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC), 4200 E. New Haven Road, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
Interests: aquatic toxicology; omics; behavior; neurotoxicity; heavy metals; pesticides; crude oil; pharmaceuticals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heavy metals have been a concern for aquatic environments because of their known toxicity to aquatic organisms and potential for trophic transfer. Additional chemicals present in the environment due to sources such as agricultural runoff, industrial processes, wastewater treatment plant discharge can form mixtures with metals. However, the interactions between heavy metals and these chemicals/materials make it more difficult to determine their mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity due to their complex chemical morphology. Subsequently, pH, temperature, and nutrient levels within aquatic systems have been influenced by global climate change. Therefore, assessing the risks of heavy metals in a changing environment, especially the long-term ecological risk, poses a challenge.

This Special Issue of Toxics brings together knowledge on the toxicity, environmental pathways, and risks of heavy metals in aquatic environments, including advances in metal biochemistry, speciation and bioavailability, nutrient transfer, ecology and human health, and future research needs. Articles submitted for publication should establish links between research findings that have implications for environmental quality, ecological health, and/or human health in the context of metal pollution. Contributions to all aspects of metal research in aquatic systems are welcome, including but not limited to:

  • Aquatic toxicology and heavy metals;
  • Techniques of assessing metal toxicities;
  • Biogeochemical processes of heavy metals in aquatic systems;
  • Metal cycling of heavy metals;
  • Metal bioaccumulation and biomagnification;
  • Exposure and risk assessment of heavy metals in aquatic environments.

Dr. Jason T. Magnuson
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • heavy metals
  • toxicity
  • aquatic ecosystems
  • environmental health
  • risk assessment
  • trophic transfer

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1021 KiB  
Article
Spatial Variation in Mercury Accumulation in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops spp.) in Southeastern U.S.A.
by Mackenzie L. Griffin, Colleen E. Bryan, Tara M. Cox, Brian C. Balmer, Russell D. Day, Laura Garcia Barcia, Antoinette M. Gorgone, Jeremy J. Kiszka, Jenny A. Litz, Robin M. Perrtree, Teri K. Rowles, Lori H. Schwacke, Randall S. Wells and Eric Zolman
Toxics 2024, 12(5), 327; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12050327 - 30 Apr 2024
Viewed by 2800
Abstract
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) inhabit bays, sounds, and estuaries (BSEs) throughout the southeast region of the U.S.A. and are sentinel species for human and ecosystem-level health. Dolphins are vulnerable to the bioaccumulation of contaminants through the coastal food chain because they are [...] Read more.
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) inhabit bays, sounds, and estuaries (BSEs) throughout the southeast region of the U.S.A. and are sentinel species for human and ecosystem-level health. Dolphins are vulnerable to the bioaccumulation of contaminants through the coastal food chain because they are high-level predators. Currently, there is limited information on the spatial dynamics of mercury accumulation in these dolphins. Total mercury (THg) was measured in dolphin skin from multiple populations across the U.S. Southeast Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, and the influence of geographic origin, sex, and age class was investigated. Mercury varied significantly among sampling sites and was greatest in dolphins in St. Joseph Bay, Florida Everglades, and Choctawhatchee Bay (14,193 ng/g ± 2196 ng/g, 10,916 ng/g ± 1532 ng/g, and 7333 ng/g ± 1405 ng/g wet mass (wm), respectively) and lowest in dolphins in Charleston and Skidaway River Estuary (509 ng/g ± 32.1 ng/g and 530 ng/g ± 58.4 ng/g wm, respectively). Spatial mercury patterns were consistent regardless of sex or age class. Bottlenose dolphin mercury exposure can effectively represent regional trends and reflect large-scale atmospheric mercury input and local biogeochemical processes. As a sentinel species, the bottlenose dolphin data presented here can direct future studies to evaluate mercury exposure to human residents in St. Joseph Bay, Choctawhatchee Bay, and Florida Coastal Everglades, as well as additional sites with similar geographical, oceanographic, or anthropogenic parameters. These data may also inform state and federal authorities that establish fish consumption advisories to determine if residents in these locales are at heightened risk for mercury toxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Heavy Metals on Aquatic Ecosystems)
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15 pages, 2421 KiB  
Article
Human Health Risk Assessment for Exposure to Heavy Metals via Dietary Intake of Rainbow Trout in the Influence Area of a Smelting Facility Located in Peru
by Richard Peñaloza, María Custodio, Carlos Cacciuttolo, Fernán Chanamé, Deyvis Cano and Fernando Solorzano
Toxics 2023, 11(9), 764; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11090764 - 8 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2528
Abstract
Abandoned mining–metallurgical sites can significantly impact the environment and human health by accumulating heavy metals in aquatic ecosystems. The water in the sub-basin near an abandoned smelting facility in the city of La Oroya, Peru, is primarily used for pisciculture. The objective of [...] Read more.
Abandoned mining–metallurgical sites can significantly impact the environment and human health by accumulating heavy metals in aquatic ecosystems. The water in the sub-basin near an abandoned smelting facility in the city of La Oroya, Peru, is primarily used for pisciculture. The objective of this study was to assess the risk to human health from exposure to heavy metals via dietary intake of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the influence area of a smelting facility located in the central Andean region of Peru. The bioconcentration factor, biosediment accumulation factor, and consumption risks were evaluated using the Monte Carlo method. The results showed that the concentrations of elements (Zn > Pb > Cu > As) in rainbow trout muscle did not exceed the maximum limit (ML). However, the water significantly exceeded the ML for Pb in all sectors and As in the lower and middle parts of the river. The concentration of Pb in sediments also significantly exceeded the ML in the upper and lower parts of the river. Consequently, rainbow trout consumption in the study area presents risks to human health due to the bioaccumulation of heavy metals, with a 1.27% carcinogenic risk in samples from the lower part of the river. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Heavy Metals on Aquatic Ecosystems)
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