Predicted aquatic and human health risks associated with the presence of metals in the Syr Darya and Shardara Reservoir, Kazakhstan
Allen D.S. Kolok A.S. Snow D.D. Satybaldiyev B. Uralbekov B. Nystrom G.S. Thornton Hampton L.M. Bartelt-Hunt S.L. Sellin Jeffries M.K.
10 February 2023Elsevier B.V.
Science of the Total Environment
2023#859
Due to the decline of the Aral Sea fishery and recent efforts to expand the fisheries sector in Kazakhstan for both local consumption and global export, there is a need to sustain other fisheries in the area, including the Shardara Reservoir, which lies in the Syr Darya basin. Metals are present in the Syr Darya; yet, their impacts on fishery and consumer health remain unclear. Thus, the objectives of this study were to evaluate: 1) the potential impacts of metals on Syr Darya basin fish and 2) the human health risks posed by consumption of Shardara Reservoir fish. The health of the fishery was assessed by comparing surface water metal concentrations to maximum permissible concentrations (MPCs), calculating water quality index (WQI) and degree of contamination (Cd) values, and evaluating gene expression biomarker responses in wild-caught roach (Rutilus rutilus). To assess the risk to consumers, metal concentrations in roach were used to calculate hazard quotients (HQs) and hazard indices (HIs). Water concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, Sr and V exceeded MPCs and all sites were classified as highly polluted based upon WQI and Cd values. This, along with site-specific differences in the expression of genes associated with xenobiotic metabolism and oxidative stress in roach, indicates potential risks to the fishery. Though all HQs and HIs were below 1 indicating a lack of significant risk to consumers, Pb levels in roach exceeded MPCs for safe consumption indicating a potential risk. Given the potential risks to the fishery and consumers, the development of pollution monitoring and management programs are warranted. The work presented here provides initial monitoring data that can be used to aid such efforts and also underscores the need to identify environmental stressors that may thwart the anticipated growth of fisheries in this region.
Biomonitoring , Metals , Risk assessment , Roach , Shardara fishery , Syr Darya
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Department of Biology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, 76129, TX, United States
Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, University of Idaho, Moscow, 83844, ID, United States
Water Sciences Laboratory, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 68583, NE, United States
Center of Physical-Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Center of Physical Methods of Research and Analysis, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan and LLP <>, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 68583, NE, United States
Department of Biology
Idaho Water Resources Research Institute
Water Sciences Laboratory
Center of Physical-Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis
Center of Physical Methods of Research and Analysis
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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