METAIS TÓXICOS NA ÁGUA E NOS PEIXES EM CURSOS D`ÁGUA PERTENCENTES À BACIA DO RIO TOCANTINS, GOIÁS, BRASIL CENTRAL

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the level of concentration of toxic metals in water (Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn) and fish (Al, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn) from ten sub-basins of the Upper Tocantins River, Goiás State, Central Brazil, from July to August 2008. Each section of the watercourse chosen (50, 500 and 1000m for streams, creeks and rivers, respectively) were georeferenced and demarcated. In these section were sampled water and fish. The water was collected manually at the beginning and end of each section at 50 cm from the surface, then filtered, packaged in bottles and stored at 4 °C. Samples of whole fish or muscle pieces were defrosted, lyophilized, digested and stored in polyethylene bottles previously washed. The determination of the concentration of toxic metals from water samples was performed using the technique of optical emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICPOES), and this fish was made using the technique of atomic absorption spectrometry method (flame-AAS). After determination of toxic metals in fish muscles, these were classified by trophic guild (omnivorous, invertivorous, detritivorous, piscivorous, insectivorous and herbivorous) through available literature. The Kruskal-Wallis analysis showed no significant differences between the concentrations of toxic metals in water between sub-basins. The comparison of the concentrations of toxic metals present in fish sampled indicated that there were significant differences between the trophic guilds considered for Al (p = 0.0057), Fe (p = 0.0000), Mn (p = 0.0000 ), Pb (p = 0.0001) and Zn (p = 0.0001). The detritivorous had higher concentration of Fe compared to omnivores, and higher concentrations of Al, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn in relation to invertivores. The invertivores showed a higher concentration of Mn, Pb, Zn than omnivores. The insectivores have excelled in the concentration of Mn in relation to invertivores and Pb in relation to detritivores. In the case of piscivorous the highest concentration was of Fe and Mn in relation to Mn and detritivorous in relation to omnivores. The correlation analysis between the concentrations of Mn, Pb and Zn indicate that there is no correlation between the water and the fish, whereas positive correlations were observed between the concentrations of Pb and Mn (r = 0. 682834); Zn and Mn (r = 0.716368) and Zn and Pb (r = 0.770089) in sampled fish. It is concluded that the water did not influence directly the contamination of fish by toxic metals, but fish seem to have been contaminated by food, expressed in this study by the trophic guilds.