Study of macro and microelements in fish from the Cienfuegos Bay. Relationship with its content in sediments.

Thirteen microelements (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Ni, Ti, V, and Zn) and four macroelements (Ca, K, Mg, and Na) were determined in the edible muscle tissue of fish in Cienfuegos Bay. Eight species, Albula vulpes, Diapterus rhombeus, Gerres cinereus, Haemulon carbonarium, Haemulon sciurus, Micropogonias furnieri, Kyphosus sectatrix, and Lutjanus cyanopterus were studied. The total concentrations and extracted concentrations using HCl were also determined in sediments. The quality of the analysis was guaranteed by validating the used analytical methods with certified reference materials of fish and sediments. The high content of macroelements confirmed the importance of fish as a valuable source of food for the local population. New information is provided on bioaccumulation of toxic elements As, Cd, Cu, Zn, and Cr in fish of the bay, with concentrations that overcame the local or international maximum allowable levels for human consumption in most samples analyzed. A high correlation between the content of toxic elements As, Cd, Zn, and macroelement K in fish and its concentration extracted from sediments using the HCl extraction method was observed.

Vertical distribution and inventories of (239+240)Pu and mercury in Sagua la Grande estuary, Cuba.

The vertical activity distribution and inventories of (239+240)Pu profile and Hg were determined in Sagua la Grande estuary, Cuba. The shape of the (239+240)Pu profile in the core column resembled very closely the history of atmospheric nuclear weapons' testing, and the maximum deposition in 1963 was recorded in the sediment core history. The (239+240)Pu activity concentrations in the surface layer sediments varied from 0.163 to 0.611 mBq g(-1). The inventory of (239+240)Pu was 42 ± 5.6 Bq m(-2), a value close to that expected from direct global fallout. Using the (239+240)Pu as a chronomarker the mass sedimentation rate in the area for the last 60 years was calculated, reaching values of 0.173 g cm(-2) y(-1). The mercury profile reflects the history of anthropogenic pollution in the estuary and perfectly describes the operation of the mercury-cell chlor-alkali plant, for production of NaOH, which began operations in 1980. The inventory of Hg was 2.42 ± 0.19 µg cm(-2). These results contribute to the scarce regional database for pollutants and anthropogenic radionuclides in the Caribbean marine environment, particularly in relation to (239+240)Pu.

One century sedimentary record of Hg and Pb pollution in the Sagua estuary (Cuba) derived from 210Pb and 137Cs chronology.

The vertical distribution of Hg and Pb were determined in a sediment core collected from the Sagua estuary (North Cuba) that receives input from the Sagua river, one of the most polluted rivers discharging into the Cuban coastal environment. Depth profiles of metal concentrations were converted to time-based profiles using the (210)Pb dating method and confirmed with the (137)Cs fallout peak. The mean mass accumulation rate was estimated to be 0.17+/-0.04 g cm(-2)y(-1) (mean sediment accumulation rate 0.52+/-0.13 cm y(-1)) and the core bottom was estimated to date back about 130 years. The historical sedimentary record showed a strong enrichment of mercury concentrations in the past decades, caused by the incomplete treatment of industrial wastes from a chlor-alkali plant with mercury-cell technology in the Sagua river basin. Lead fluxes to sediments showed a gradual increase from the 1920s to present, which agrees with a population increase in Sagua la Grande City. Fluxes of both metals have increased the past 25 years, with values reaching a maximum of 0.5 and 3.9 microg cm(-2)y(-1) for Hg and Pb, respectively.