Abstract
Pollutants have adverse effects on human health and on other organisms that inhabit or use water resources. The aim of the present study was to assess the environmental quality of three watercourses in Monte Carmelo, MG, Brazil, using the micronucleus test on Tradescantia. For each treatment, 15 plants were exposed to water samples for 24 h. The control group was exposed to formaldehyde (0.2%) and the negative control to Hoagland solution. Subsequently the plants were placed in Hoagland solution for 24 h to recover. Cells were stained with 2% acetic carmine and examined by light microscopy. Three hundred tetrads were analyzed per slide. The frequency of genotoxic alterations was expressed as the number of micronuclei per 100 tetrads, and the groups were compared by ANOVA. At all sample sites for each watercourse significant genotoxicity indices were observed. The results suggest that in the Mumbuca creek, the current situation of effluent discharge should be reconsidered by the municipal environmental authorities. The increase in micronucleus frequency denoted for water samples of the Mumbuca creek, Lambari river and Perdizes river emphasizes the need to adopt environmental vigilance strategies, such as biological monitoring.
Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that water is essential to sustain life, and is a substance that should necessarily be available to all in adequate, safe and accessible form
Using biomonitoring programs for environmental quality control is necessary because it contributes important information on potential risks to the environment and biota
Concerning the data for the water quality index (WQI) obtained from the IGAM, a decrease in quality in the aquatic environments was inferred in the short term for the town under study
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that water is essential to sustain life, and is a substance that should necessarily be available to all in adequate, safe and accessible form. Aquatic environments have been highly polluted in function of effluent discharge of diverse origins Treated or not, these can be domestic, mining and industrial effluents or water run-off in agricultural areas (Köck-Schulmeyer et al, 2013) that commonly contain contaminating agents such as heavy metals, aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons and various agricultural chemicals (Demarini et al, 1996). These can be domestic, mining and industrial effluents or water run-off in agricultural areas (Köck-Schulmeyer et al, 2013) that commonly contain contaminating agents such as heavy metals, aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons and various agricultural chemicals (Demarini et al, 1996) These pollutants have adverse effects on human health and on other organisms that inhabit or use water resources (Isidori et al, 2003). Using biomonitoring programs for environmental quality control is necessary because it contributes important information on potential risks to the environment and biota
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