Arsenic biotargets in volcanic environments.

LAMELA, PAULA A.; PEREZ, ROBERTO D.; VODOPIVEZ, CRISTIANL.; BONGIOVANNI, GUILLERMINA A.

CABA

Congreso; 5th International Congress on Arsenic in the Environment (As2014),; 2014

International Society of Groundwater for Sustainable Development (ISGSD) Stockholm, Sweden Y CNEA-CONICET de Argentina

In Patagonian Andes (Argentina) we found concentrations of As in superficial water up to 25 times the quality standards of drinking water for humans and 17 times for the life of aquatic species. The Andes continue beyond Tierra del Fuego, under the sea, reappearing as islands and as Antartandes, the great mountain chain of the Antarctic Peninsula. In these regions, we also found As. Here, we report arsenic bioaccumulation as well as elemental composition of Patagonian and Antarctic organisms measured by X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (SR-XRF) using synchrotron radiation. In order to determine molecular As-targets, the As-protein association was analyzed by this methodology. The highest As concentration in naturally exposed species was 2.26 μg g-1 of dry weight in mussels with two As-binding proteins. In an ecologic context, Asaccumulating organisms may serve as a critical link in the biotransference of arsenic within both, aquatic and terrestrial communities, including humans.