Geochemical and environmental factors controlling exposure to cerium and magnesium in Uganda

The presence of elevated levels of dietary Ce and deficient levels of dietary Mg in southern India have been assigned as potential environmental cofactors in the aetiology of endomyocardial fibrosis. However, environmental exposure to Ce in tropical environments, where EMF is prevalent, is poorly understood because of wide variation in geochemical environments and local dietary habits. This paper describes collaborative studies based in Uganda to define environmental exposure pathways within a region where EMF is endemic, and represents the most common form of infantile heart condition. Data are presented from a survey of major foodstuffs, soils and waters which indicate that the most probable pathway for Ce exposure is from dust and inadvertent carriage of soil. In addition to substantiating observations made in southwestern India, detailed studies of Ugandan soils, dusts and waters indicate that Ce within the Ugandan environment is controlled by the presence of sub-20 μm particles in the soil. These are probably present as secondary rare earth minerals rather than monazite as assumed by workers in India.     

Analysis of geological Sr isotope markers in fish otoliths with subannual resolution using laser ablation-multicollector-ICP-mass spectrometry

In this pilot study, laser ablation-multicollector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) and Sr isotope geochemistry were applied to fish life-history studies through the micro-analysis of Sr abundance and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in the otoliths of an anadromous fish. With a laser sampling area of 70-µm diameter, LA-MC-ICP-MS of a deep-sea coral gave precision values for ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr determination of approximately 0.04% relative standard deviation with an accuracy to <1C of seawater. Analyses of different sides of the same otolith and different otoliths from the same fish gave reproducible results overall, which suggested that at the Sr concentrations found in the freshwater portions of the otoliths (ca. 500 µg/g) LA-MC-ICP-MS can be reliably employed. Subtle isotopic differences occurred between a pair of otoliths from one fish, which may be due either to sampling resolution limitations imposed by the size of the laser spot, or to asymmetrical otolith growth which incorporated environmental Sr in one otolith but not the other at certain times. New information about fish provenance which could not be gained from Sr concentration data alone included insights into the movements of individuals between isotopically contrasting freshwater environments. LA-MC-ICP-MS of calcified tissues, in combination with Sr isotope geochemistry, has the potential to retrieve new data about fish life-history movements which complement the information from other techniques.     

DEFORESTATION-A CAUSE FOR THE ECOLOGICAL DISASTER OF SOIL EROSION IN IMO STATE,SE NIGERIA

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Can the Movements of Barramundi in the Fly River Region, Papua New Guinea be Traced in their Otoliths?

To determine whether the concentrations of heavy metals in fish otoliths could be used to infer the fish's movement into water contaminated by heavy metals, we collected barramundi Lates calcarifer from two sites below the outfall from a large copper mine. It was first demonstrated that otolith Sr concentration could be used to separate the marine and freshwater life phases. Twelve elements were then examined (in particular Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd and Pb) in the otoliths by laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). Cadmium concentrations were rarely above the detection level of the instrument. There were low concentrations of Cu in the otoliths of most fish during the freshwater phase of their life history. Three fish out of 10 had higher levels of Cu at some ablations, coinciding with higher concentrations of both Zn and Pb. However, further analysis found no correlation between the Cu concentration of replicate ablations in the same growth zone to those with initially higher Cu values. Copper concentration in the otoliths did not rise during the period the fish were in freshwater, despite the concentration of dissolved Cu in the water being several times greater than in the lower estuary and adjacent coast.These results and other data from recent studies of heavy metals in fish tissues suggest that very little of the dissolved Cu in the Fly River is in the form of free ions that can be adsorbed across the gills and into the blood and the otoliths. It can be concluded that otoliths are not a good indicator of the history of barramundi movements into water contaminated with heavy metals. Our data support recent studies that suggest that the concentration of many elements, such as Cu, may vary in the endolymph around the otolith and thus may be attached to the calcium-binding proteins that form the matrix around the aragonite. Hence, high concentrations of heavy metals in some ablations may be related to the relative amount of aragonite and protein in each ablation rather than reflect environmental differences.