Old and new contaminants in fresh-water systems. Presence, distribution and transport through the food web.

WUNDERLIN, D.A.

Natal

Congreso; 9th Congress of Toxicology in Developing Countries XIX° Brazilian Congress of Toxicology. ?Advancing Toxicology Science in developing Countries?.; 2015

Sociedad Brasilera de Toxicología

Unfortunately, contaminants are ubiquitousworldwide. They are classified into different ways: organic, inorganic,persistent, emergent, etc. Some of these contaminants have been studied for along time (hereinafter ?old? contaminants); while others have been morerecently recognized as pollutants (hereinafter ?new? contaminants).Among old contaminants, toxic metals andmetalloids have been reported in aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric systems.Toxic metal/loids can be released from several sources, including mine,melting, metallurgic and other industries, batteries, electronic and domesticwastes, etc. After reaching fresh water systems, toxic metal/loids can be founddissolved or associated with the sediment and particulate matter. So, bothtoxic and non-toxic elements can be uptaken by aquatic plants, plankton, etc.,and translated through the aquatic food web until reaching higher organisms(edible fish, man, etc.). Although the bioaccumulation of metal/loids bydiverse aquatic organisms has been extensively reported, only few publicationsrefer to the differential behavior of distinct elements through this foodchain. So far, the study of both bioaccumulation and biodilution of toxicelements through the aquatic food web, namely trophodynamics, seems a researchchallenge to fully understand the transfer of these inorganic toxics to edibleorganisms. A short overview of these issues, including an example of ourcurrent research in the San Roque reservoir (Córdoba, Argentina), will bepresented.On the other hand, pharmaceuticals and personalcare products (PPCP) are new (emerging) contaminants, so their presence inaquatic systems and effects on aquatic organisms has been intensively studiedover the last years. PPCPs can reach fresh aquatic systems from domesticsources (human and veterinary medicines), farms (veterinary and relatedcompounds), pharmaceutical industries, etc. Current knowledge describes PPCPsas ubiquitous worldwide; however, negative effects of PPCPs on the aquaticbiota as well as their transfer through the food web is still not fullyunderstood. A brief description on the presence and some negative effects ofPPCPs on fresh aquatic systems, including part of our current research in thisarea at the Suquía River basin (Córdoba, Argentina), will be presented.