Study of the occurrence of mercury in different marine biomonitor organisms in Todos os Santos Bay

• Grant number: 25/23905-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Program to Stimulate Scientific Vocations
• Start date: January 05, 2026
• End date: February 24, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Jailson Bittencourt de Andrade
• Grantee: Joyce Trindade Lima
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Tecnologia. Centro Universitário SENAI CIMATEC. Salvador , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Todos os Santos Bay (TSB) is an inlet located along the coastal region of Bahia State, in Northeastern Brazil. It is considered the largest bay in Brazil and one of the largest in the world, featuring a diverse ecosystem, navigable channels, and more than 3 million people living around its margins (SOLA et al., 2022). TSB also plays a key role in the economy of Bahia State, hosting ports, tourist attractions, and intense industrial activity, especially in the sectors of oil and natural gas exploration and transportation. In this context, TSB has been heavily impacted by contamination from anthropogenic activities, mainly by organic and inorganic pollutants released from various sources, including urban and industrial effluents, agriculture, and mining (SOLA et al., 2020; SOUZA, WINDMÖLLER, and HATJE, 2011). The presence of mercury (Hg) in different environmental compartments has been a major concern for governmental agencies and the Brazilian population in general, mainly due to its high toxicity. The main anthropogenic sources of Hg emissions in TSB are associated with fossil fuel combustion, metallurgy, mining, and chlor-alkali industries. The aquatic environment is one of the main sinks for emitted Hg. Studies conducted in TSB have reported the presence of Hg in marine organisms such as polychaetes (SOLA et al., 2022), ascidians Phallusia nigra (MARTINEZ et al., 2023), corals (MENEZES et al., 2024), and bivalves (SOUZA, WINDMÖLLER, and HATJE, 2011). However, none of these studies have compared the Hg levels found in different biomonitors. Such data are essential to understand the differences in Hg uptake among these marine organisms.REFERÊNCIAS: DE SOUZA, M. M.; WINDMÖLLER, C. C.; HATJE, V. Shellfish from Todos os Santos Bay, Bahia, Brazil: treat or threat? Marine Pollution Bulletin, v. 62, p. 2254-2263, 2011. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.07.010. MARTINEZ, S. T.; FELIX, C. S. A.; SORRENTINO, R.; CRUZ, I. C. S.; DE ANDRADE, J. B. When the Detail of Organism Makes the Difference in the Seascape: Different Tissues of Phallusia nigra Have Distinct Hg Concentrations and Show Differences Resolution in Spatial Pollution. Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society, v. 34, n. 2, p. 228-233, 2023. DOI: 10.21577/0103-5053.20220102. SOLA, M. C. R.; DE JESUS, R. M.; NASCIMENTO, M. M.; DA ROCHA, G. O.; DE ANDRADE, J. B. Occurrence of Mercury Along with Different Body Parts of Nine Polychaete Species (Annelida) and Their Associated Sediments from an Important Southern Atlantic Ocean Bay. Science of the Total Environment, v. 851, p. 157965, 2022. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157965. MENEZES, N.; FELIX, C.; CRUZ, I.; MARTINEZ, S. T.; DA ROCHA, G. O.; LEÃO, Z. M.A.N.; DE ANDRADE, J. B. Mercury in the Southwestern Atlantic reef-building coral Montastraea cavernosa (Cnidaria, Scleractinia). Chemosphere, v. 363, p. 142817, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142817.