San Diego Bay is an anthropogenically impacted waterway that is also a critical habitat for many sensitive species such as the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). In this study, we quantified trace metal concentrations in sediment and organisms composing the green sea turtle diet, and identified bioaccumulation patterns for a suite of trace metals. We found Ag, Cd, Cu, Mn, Se, and Zn exhibited t...

INTRODUCTION A mercury (Hg) processing plant previously operating in KwaZulu-Natal Province (South Africa) discharged Hg waste into a nearby river system causing widespread contamination since the 1980s. Although the processing plant ceased operation in the 1990s, Hg contamination (due to residual Hg) remains significant. Previous studies in the area since the plant's closure have found elevate...

The objectives of this study are to use different types of indexes to assess the current pollution status in Mengkabong lagoon and select the best index to describe the Mengkabong sediment quality. The indexes used in this study were Enrichment Factor (EF), Geo-accumulation Index (Igeo), Pollution Load Index (PLI) and Marine Sediment Pollution Index (MSPI). Different indexes give diverse status...

Tibetan Plateau is located at a mountain region isolated from direct anthropogenic sources. Mercury concentrations and stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and mercury were analyzed in sediment and biota for Nam Co and Yamdrok Lake. Biotic mercury concentrations and high food web magnification factors suggested that Tibetan Plateau is no longer a pristine site. The primary source of methylmercu...

Although species commonly modify habitats and thereby influence ecosystem structure and function, the factors governing the ecological importance of these modifications are not well understood. Pacific salmon have repeatedly been shown to positively influence the abundance of benthic biota by annually transferring large quantities of nutrients from marine systems to the nutrient-poor freshwater...

Background: Soil and sediment serve as major reservoir for contaminants as they possess ability to bind various chemicals together. In this study the concentrations of heavy metals Cd, Cr and Cu were analyzed in surface sediments of Agh Gel Wetland in west of Iran. Methods: The sediment samples were taken from 10 stations. The samples were subjected to bulk digestion and chemical partitionin...

Much of the mercury contamination in aquatic biota originates from coal-fired power plants, point sources that release mercury into the atmosphere. Understanding mercury dynamics is primarily important because of the toxic threat mercury poses to wildlife and humans through the consumption of contaminated fish. In this study, we quantified the relative importance of proximity to coal-fired powe...

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BACKGROUND Carbon nanotubes represent a class of nanomaterials having broad application potentials and documented cellular uptake and ecotoxicological effects that raise the possibility that they may bioaccumulate in living organisms. OBJECTIVES Radioactively labeled nanotubes were synthesized using a novel methane chemical vapor deposition procedure. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), m...