Mercury Scenario in Fish from the Amazon Basin: Exploring the Interplay of Social Groups and Environmental Diversity
The Amazon faces significant challenges related to mercury contamination, including naturally elevated concentrations and gold mining activities. Due to mercury’s toxicity and the importance of fish as a protein source for local populations, assessing mercury levels in regional fish is crucial. Howe...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Thaís de Castro Paiva Inácio Abreu Pestana Lorena Nascimento Leite Miranda Gabriel Oliveira de Carvalho Wanderley Rodrigues Bastos Daniele Kasper |
| author_facet | Thaís de Castro Paiva Inácio Abreu Pestana Lorena Nascimento Leite Miranda Gabriel Oliveira de Carvalho Wanderley Rodrigues Bastos Daniele Kasper |
| author_sort | Thaís de Castro Paiva |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Amazon faces significant challenges related to mercury contamination, including naturally elevated concentrations and gold mining activities. Due to mercury’s toxicity and the importance of fish as a protein source for local populations, assessing mercury levels in regional fish is crucial. However, there are gaps in knowledge regarding mercury concentrations in many areas of the Amazon basin. This study aims to synthesize the existing literature on mercury concentrations in fish and the exposure of urban and traditional social groups through fish consumption. A systematic review (1990–2022) was conducted for six fish genera (<i>Cichla</i> spp., <i>Hoplias</i> spp. and <i>Plagioscion</i> spp., <i>Leporinus</i> spp., <i>Semaprochilodus</i> spp., and <i>Schizodon</i> spp.) in the Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) and Scopus (Elsevier) databases. The database consisted of a total of 46 studies and 455 reports. The distribution of studies in the region was not homogeneous. The most studied regions were the Madeira River sub-basin, while the Paru–Jari basin had no studies. Risk deterministic and probabilistic assessments based on Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA, 2007) guidelines showed high risk exposure, especially for traditional communities. Carnivorous fish from lakes and hydroelectric reservoirs, as well as fish from black-water ecosystems, exhibited higher mercury concentrations. In the Amazon region, even if mercury levels in fish muscle do not exceed regulatory limits, the high fish consumption can still elevate health risks for local populations. Monitoring mercury levels across a broader range of fish species, including both carnivorous and non-carnivorous species, especially in communities heavily reliant on fish for their diet, will enable a more accurate risk assessment and provide an opportunity to recommend fish species with lower mercury exposure risk for human consumption. The present study emphasizes the need to protect regions that already exhibit higher levels of mercury—such as lakes, hydroelectric reservoirs, and black-water ecosystems—to ensure food safety and safeguard public health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-efb577ee8d984566b2e3a3d9e56f326a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2305-6304 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Toxics |
| spelling | doaj-art-efb577ee8d984566b2e3a3d9e56f326a2025-08-20T03:56:46ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042025-07-0113758010.3390/toxics13070580Mercury Scenario in Fish from the Amazon Basin: Exploring the Interplay of Social Groups and Environmental DiversityThaís de Castro Paiva0Inácio Abreu Pestana1Lorena Nascimento Leite Miranda2Gabriel Oliveira de Carvalho3Wanderley Rodrigues Bastos4Daniele Kasper5Laboratório de Limnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Ecotoxicologia e Ecologia Aquática, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, BrazilPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Geociências (Geoquímica), Departamento de Geoquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói 24020-141, RJ, BrazilLaboratório de Limnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Ecotoxicologia e Ecologia Aquática, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, BrazilLaboratório de Estudos Ambientais Olaf Malm, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-900, RJ, BrazilLaboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho 76815-800, RO, BrazilLaboratório de Limnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Ecotoxicologia e Ecologia Aquática, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, BrazilThe Amazon faces significant challenges related to mercury contamination, including naturally elevated concentrations and gold mining activities. Due to mercury’s toxicity and the importance of fish as a protein source for local populations, assessing mercury levels in regional fish is crucial. However, there are gaps in knowledge regarding mercury concentrations in many areas of the Amazon basin. This study aims to synthesize the existing literature on mercury concentrations in fish and the exposure of urban and traditional social groups through fish consumption. A systematic review (1990–2022) was conducted for six fish genera (<i>Cichla</i> spp., <i>Hoplias</i> spp. and <i>Plagioscion</i> spp., <i>Leporinus</i> spp., <i>Semaprochilodus</i> spp., and <i>Schizodon</i> spp.) in the Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) and Scopus (Elsevier) databases. The database consisted of a total of 46 studies and 455 reports. The distribution of studies in the region was not homogeneous. The most studied regions were the Madeira River sub-basin, while the Paru–Jari basin had no studies. Risk deterministic and probabilistic assessments based on Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA, 2007) guidelines showed high risk exposure, especially for traditional communities. Carnivorous fish from lakes and hydroelectric reservoirs, as well as fish from black-water ecosystems, exhibited higher mercury concentrations. In the Amazon region, even if mercury levels in fish muscle do not exceed regulatory limits, the high fish consumption can still elevate health risks for local populations. Monitoring mercury levels across a broader range of fish species, including both carnivorous and non-carnivorous species, especially in communities heavily reliant on fish for their diet, will enable a more accurate risk assessment and provide an opportunity to recommend fish species with lower mercury exposure risk for human consumption. The present study emphasizes the need to protect regions that already exhibit higher levels of mercury—such as lakes, hydroelectric reservoirs, and black-water ecosystems—to ensure food safety and safeguard public health.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/7/580methylmercurysystematic reviewfish consumptionrisk calculationtraditional communitiesurban communities |
| spellingShingle | Thaís de Castro Paiva Inácio Abreu Pestana Lorena Nascimento Leite Miranda Gabriel Oliveira de Carvalho Wanderley Rodrigues Bastos Daniele Kasper Mercury Scenario in Fish from the Amazon Basin: Exploring the Interplay of Social Groups and Environmental Diversity Toxics methylmercury systematic review fish consumption risk calculation traditional communities urban communities |
| title | Mercury Scenario in Fish from the Amazon Basin: Exploring the Interplay of Social Groups and Environmental Diversity |
| title_full | Mercury Scenario in Fish from the Amazon Basin: Exploring the Interplay of Social Groups and Environmental Diversity |
| title_fullStr | Mercury Scenario in Fish from the Amazon Basin: Exploring the Interplay of Social Groups and Environmental Diversity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mercury Scenario in Fish from the Amazon Basin: Exploring the Interplay of Social Groups and Environmental Diversity |
| title_short | Mercury Scenario in Fish from the Amazon Basin: Exploring the Interplay of Social Groups and Environmental Diversity |
| title_sort | mercury scenario in fish from the amazon basin exploring the interplay of social groups and environmental diversity |
| topic | methylmercury systematic review fish consumption risk calculation traditional communities urban communities |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/7/580 |
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