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<p>Mercury (Hg) is a unique heavy metal toxicant found in numerous environmental and occupational settings. A major source of environmental Hg is artisanal and small-scale gold mining, whereby metallic mercury (Hg<sup>0</sup>) is used to concentrate gold from mined ore. If the Hg<sup>0</sup>-contaminated tailings are then subjected to cyanidation to extract any remaining gold, toxic mercuric cyanide complexes form that contaminate terrestrial and aquatic environments around mining sites. The purpose of the current study was to determine how mercuric cyanide complexes affect the health of aquatic organisms in contaminated environments. Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) embryos and larvae were exposed to different concentrations (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3&#xa0;mg/L) of mercuric cyanide. This exposure did not alter germ ring formation, tail segmentation, or heartbeat initiation, but did affect hatching and survival rates. Furthermore, the number of embryos exhibiting tail twitching activity decreased by approximately 25% when exposed to 0.15&#xa0;mg/L mercuric cyanide and 75% following exposure to 0.3&#xa0;mg/L mercuric cyanide. In addition, 50% of embryos exposed to 0.05&#xa0;mg/L mercuric cyanide experienced delays in hatching compared with controls. Overall survival was also affected with only 75% of embryos surviving exposure to 0.05&#xa0;mg/L mercuric cyanide. None of the embryos exposed to higher concentrations of mercuric cyanide hatched. The current study suggests that the reproduction and survival of aquatic organisms may be affected significantly by mercury cyanide contamination of aquatic environments.</p>

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Exposure to mercuric-cyanide complexes alters viability of zebrafish embryos

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年4月28日

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  • Elizabeth H. Pittman,
  • Sumeja Aljic,
  • Earl G. Ford IV,
  • Lucy Joshee,
  • Adam M. Kiefer,
  • Caryn S. Seney,
  • Christy C. Bridges

摘要

Mercury (Hg) is a unique heavy metal toxicant found in numerous environmental and occupational settings. A major source of environmental Hg is artisanal and small-scale gold mining, whereby metallic mercury (Hg0) is used to concentrate gold from mined ore. If the Hg0-contaminated tailings are then subjected to cyanidation to extract any remaining gold, toxic mercuric cyanide complexes form that contaminate terrestrial and aquatic environments around mining sites. The purpose of the current study was to determine how mercuric cyanide complexes affect the health of aquatic organisms in contaminated environments. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos and larvae were exposed to different concentrations (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3 mg/L) of mercuric cyanide. This exposure did not alter germ ring formation, tail segmentation, or heartbeat initiation, but did affect hatching and survival rates. Furthermore, the number of embryos exhibiting tail twitching activity decreased by approximately 25% when exposed to 0.15 mg/L mercuric cyanide and 75% following exposure to 0.3 mg/L mercuric cyanide. In addition, 50% of embryos exposed to 0.05 mg/L mercuric cyanide experienced delays in hatching compared with controls. Overall survival was also affected with only 75% of embryos surviving exposure to 0.05 mg/L mercuric cyanide. None of the embryos exposed to higher concentrations of mercuric cyanide hatched. The current study suggests that the reproduction and survival of aquatic organisms may be affected significantly by mercury cyanide contamination of aquatic environments.