Abstract
This paper reports the histological analysis of various organs of Mugil sp., Cyprinus carpio and Barbus sp. after an accidental discharge of lindane (?-Hexachloro-cyclohexane - ?-HCH-) into the Barbate River (Cadiz, SW Spain). Histopathological alterations of gills, liver and kidney were detected. Fusion of the secondary lamella, increased raising of the branchial epithelium and intraepithelial edema in gills, reduction of the diameter of the hepatocytes and, in advanced cases, cellular vacuolisation with hypertrophy of the hepatocytes in liver, as well as tubular necrosis, desquamation and vacuolisation of tubular epithelial cells in kidney, were observed. Quantification of lindane in water and whole fish samples was performed using a gas chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector. The results of this histological analysis of various fish tissues indicate a direct correlation between pesticide exposure and the histopathological disorders observed. Chemical analysis of the lindane in the water and fish tissues confirmed a causal relationship between exposure to this pesticide and the fish damage found.
Highlights
Pesticide pollution of natural water resources has become more frequent with more extensive use of pesticides
Fish are very susceptible to bioaccumulation in their fatty tissues, as they take up lindane residues from the water through the gills and skin (Gopal et al, 1993; Ortiz et al, 2002)
There was a strong relationship between the chromatograph peaks obtained from the well-known organochloride insecTABLE 1. – Organochloride lindane levels in fish and water from Barbate river
Summary
Pesticide pollution of natural water resources has become more frequent with more extensive use of pesticides. Organochlorides represent common pollutants in aquatic systems and could be present in different environments as a result of a combination of run-off from use in agriculture, atmospheric transfer and accidental discharge (Verma et al., 1975; Edwards, 1976; Pentreath, 1999). OrganoEFFECTS OF LINDANE IN FISHES 53 chloride insecticides, in particular, are stable compounds that persist in the environment and, have been increasingly identified as agents of chronic exposure in aquatic species (Verma et al., 1975; Janardan et al, 1984; Kungolos et al, 1999). Fish are very susceptible to bioaccumulation in their fatty tissues, as they take up lindane residues from the water through the gills and skin (Gopal et al, 1993; Ortiz et al, 2002). Gills are critical organs for their respiratory and osmoregulatory functions. According to Skidmore and Tovell (1972), in the gills these toxicants appear to break down the adhesion between epithelial branchial cells and the underlying pillar cells; this is accompanied by a collapse of the structural integrity of the secondary lamellae and subsequent failure of the respiratory functioning of the gills
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