An analysis of arsenic concentrations associated with sargassum influx events in Barbados.
Mar Pollut Bull
; 192: 115064, 2023 Jul.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37207389
ABSTRACT
Tropical Atlantic blooms of pelagic Sargassum spp. present major socioeconomic and ecological challenges for Caribbean and West African nations. Valorisation of sargassum provides an opportunity to ameliorate some of the damage to national economies; however, the active uptake of arsenic by pelagic sargassum creates significant barriers to its use. When defining valorisation pathways, it is important to understand arsenic speciation in pelagic sargassum, given the different levels of toxicity associated with different arsenic species. In this study, we assess the temporal variability of total arsenic and inorganic arsenic in pelagic sargassum arriving in Barbados; and test whether arsenic concentrations are linked to oceanic sub-origins. Results indicate that inorganic arsenic, the most toxic form, represents a consistent and substantial percentage of the total arsenic present in pelagic sargassum, and that variability in arsenic concentration does not appear to be driven by sample months, years or oceanic sub-origins/transport pathways.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Arsênio
/
Arsenicais
/
Sargassum
Tipo de estudo:
Risk_factors_studies
País/Região como assunto:
Barbados
/
Caribe
/
Caribe ingles
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Mar Pollut Bull
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article