Settleable Atmospheric Particulate Matter Harms a Marine Invertebrate: Integrating Chemical and Biological Damage in a Bivalve Model

LUIS FELIPE DE ALMEIDA DUARTE; ANDRESSA DOS SANTOS BARBOSA ORTEGA; MARINA DE SOUZA PAÇO; HELEN SADAUSKAS-HENRIQUE; CAIO CESAR-RIBEIRO; IARA COSTA SOUZA; RAFAELLA MONTEIRO; MAGDALENA VICTORIA MONFERRAN; DANIEL ALBERTO WUNDERLIN; MARISA NARCISO FERNANDES; CAMILO DIAS SEABRA PEREIRA

Montevideo

Congreso; SETAC Latin America 15th Biennial Meeting; 2023

SETAC Latin America

Some atmospheric pollutants may affect aquatic ecosystems after settling, generating contamination, bioaccumulation, and threats to aquatic species. Metallurgical processes result in the emission of settleable atmospheric particulate matter (SePM), including metals and metalloids, along with rare earth elements (REE) that are considered emerging contaminants. SePM pollutes estuarine ecosystems, close to steel industries of southeast Brazil. We report the 30-days exposure of the brown mussel (Perna perna) to SePM from a polluted area, followed by a 30-days clearance period, looking to identify and understand the toxic potential of SePM to this model mollusk. Thus, the bioaccumulation of 28 elements and their sublethal effects on these aquatic invertebrates were evaluated. REE were found in SePM (Ce, Y and La). A significant bioaccumulation of eight metals (Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Cd and Ba) was observed in the bivalves exposed to SePM, which correlates with the observed cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in a dose-dependent mode, suggesting a pre-pathological condition that could lead to ecological disturbances over time.Conversely, the lack of lipid-peroxidation after the SePM exposure could indicate the effectiveness of the antioxidant system in protecting gills and digestive glands. The clearance period was not enough to successfully reverse the negative effects observed. So far, the current results enhance the comprehension on the negative role of SePM on the metal bioaccumulation and metal-induced toxicity to the aquatic biotaThus, this report adds innovative findings on the role of SePM on the aquatic pollution in coastal areas affected by atmospheric pollution, which should be relevant for future public policies to verify and control the environmental pollution.