Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Good Health & Well-being (SDG 3)
Humpback red snapper as a biomarker to detect significant difference in mercury levels in maldives
Moosa Maahee Mohamed, Aishath Shaira Maldives National University S067992@student.mnu.edu.mv
An investigation was carried out to study significant difference in mercury levels in Maldives using humpback red snappers as a biomarker. Samples were collected from areas where land reclamation projects have been carried out and from areas where no land reclamation has been carried out nearby. The total mercury content of the specimen was analyzed using DMA-80 direct mercury analyzer employing thermal decomposition, amalgamation and atomic absorption spectrometry. The estimated mean mercury levels were found to be 0.206 mg/Kg (WW) and 0.133 mg/Kg (WW) for reclaimed areas and untouched areas, respectively. Land reclaimed areas were found to have humpback red snappers with more mercury content. The difference in mercury content was found to be significant. Moreover, it was found that the samples collected from reef near Thilafushi (0.235 mg/Kg) had significant differences in mercury level compared with samples from reef near Farukolhufushi (0.178 mg/Kg). Humpback red snappers from natural areas were determined to be safe for consumption under Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recommendation given that consumption frequency be limited to three times per week with portion size not exceeding 113 grams for a person of average weight. However, Humpback red snappers from land reclaimed areas were not safe for human consumption. References 1. Kwon, S. Y., Zhang, Y., & Hintelmann, H. (2017). Influence of sediment characteristics on methylmercury bioavailability across multiple sediment types and aquatic conditions. Environmental Science & Technology, 51(22), 13272-13279. 2. Eagles-Smith, C. A., Ackerman, J. T., Willacker, J. J., Tate, M. T., Lutz, M. A., Fleck, J. A., ... & Krabbenhoft, D. P. (2016). Spatial and temporal patterns of mercury concentrations in freshwater fish across the Western United States and Canada. Science of the Total Environment, 568, 1171-1184. 3. Depew, D. C., Basu, N., Burgess, N. M., Campbell, L. M., Devlin, E. W., & Drevnick, P. E. (2018). Spatial trends in mercury and stable isotopes of nitrogen in a remote and intensively managed boreal watershed. Science of the Total Environment, 615, 1237-1249. 4. Riva-Murray, K., Bradley, P. M., Journey, C. A., Brigham, M. E., Scudder Eikenberry, B. C., Knightes, C. D., ... & Hladik, M. L. (2019). Influence of climate, hydrology, and land use on input and transport of total mercury and methylmercury to streams. Environmental Science & Technology, 53(2), 854-865. 5. Amirbahman, A., Loftin, C. S., Smith, M. E., Dittman, J. A., Driscoll, C. T., Warby, R. A. F., & Ranco, D. J. (2018). Effectiveness of wetland restoration in reducing mercury export from an industrially contaminated watershed. Environmental Science & Technology, 52(16), 8939-8949. 6. Gao, Y., Li, R., Zhang, J., & He, J. (2018). Review of recent advances in analytical methods for the determination of total mercury in fish. Analytical Methods, 10(16), 1883-1897. 7. Brodziak-Dopierała, B., & Fischer, A. (2023). Analysis of the Mercury Content in Fish for Human Consumption in Poland. Toxics, 11(8), 717. MDPI AG. 8. Boztas, S. (2022, May 23). Sinking Maldives plans to reclaim land from the ocean. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian. com/environment/2022/may/23/maldives-plan-to- reclaim-land-for-tourism-could-choke-the-ecosystem 9. Moore, B. R. (2019, October 10). Age-based life history of humpback red snapper, Lutjanus gibbus, in New Caledonia. Journal of Fish Biology, 95(6), 1374–1384. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.14142 10. Health Effects of Exposures to Mercury | US EPA. (2023, March 28). US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/mercury/health-effects- exposures-mercury
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