Spatial distribution of arsenic and metals suggest a high ecotoxicological potential in Puno Bay, Lake Titicaca, Peru

Determination of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Interior Bay of Puno-Peru, Lake Titicaca

Water can serve as a source of genetic resistance and act as an amplifier and/or reservoir for genes acquired by human pathogens, which can be released into the environment as pollutants. The interior bay of Puno, part of Lake Titicaca, is a popular tourist attraction, being an active component of the dynamics of the city of Puno. Therefore, the determination of the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in water samples from the interior bay of Puno of six collection points was the main objective of this research work. DNA extraction was conducted, followed by the identification and quantification of 16S rRNA and Escherichia coli uidA gene, two ARGs (bla TEM and qacEΔ1), and class 1 integron-integrase gene (intI1) by means of quantitative PCR. The intI1 and qacEΔ1 genes were detected throughout the interior bay of Puno; however, the abundance of the bla TEM gene was comparatively lower. The uidA gene was reported only in some sampled points with < LOQ. These findings should raise concerns regarding the potential risk of their dissemination in Lake Titicaca and their impact on public health.

Consumption of Native Fish Associated with a Potential Carcinogenic Risk for Indigenous Communities in the Peruvian Amazon

Aquatic environments, such as fluvial environments, play an important role in the transport of material from throughout the basin, and this material partially sediments along the way. The objective of this study was to analyze, from an ecotoxicological point of view, the concentrations of arsenic and heavy metals in sediment and the muscle of native fish, to correlate their interaction and to evaluate the potential risk to public health using carcinogenic risk indices in four rivers of the Peruvian Amazon. There were 27 sampling sites where sediment and fish (except for five points) samples were collected. A sampling pool was created with fish muscles from all species collected at each sampling site. Concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Hg were analyzed in both sediment and fish muscle, in duplicate. The results indicate the presence of concentrations higher than those recommended by international guidelines for sediment and food. Mercury (Hg) concentrations in the Tigre, Morona, and Pastaza rivers are up to six times higher than the recommended value for daily consumption. The carcinogenic risk due to the regular consumption of native species in the indigenous communities living on the banks of the four studied rivers is high.

Hybrid electrocoagulation reactor for dairy wastewater treatment and methodology for sludge reusability for the development of vermicompost

The dairy industry is a high-water-consuming sector, making water conservation crucial, especially in countries like India that are top milk producers and have large populations. This research evaluates the performance and effluent characterization of dairy effluent treatment systems in Kerala using modern, cost-effective technology to address this issue. A hybrid electrocoagulation reactor (HECR) is designed to operate simultaneously in coagulation, and the electrocoagulation process is proposed in this study. The wastewater treatment parameters of the HECR with those of six existing dairy effluent treatment plants using geological mapping and geographic information system (GIS) were studied. According to inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation findings, HECR's effluent treatment profile is comparable to existing technologies, with a minimum required retention time of 9.58 h. The results show the HECR treatment efficiency, removing up to 75.15% of turbidity and 94.5% of COD. Moreover, the sludge generated from HECR is transformed into nutrient-rich vermicompost by adding suitable fillers in the ratio of 5:1:3:1 (industrial dairy sludge/HECR sludge: cow dung, dry leaf, and seed vermicompost). The optimal conversion times for vermicompost developed from dairy industrial sludge are 40 days, with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) values per gram vermicompost of 8.86%, 3.18%, and 3.6%, respectively. For HECR sludge, on the 60th day, the observed NPK value for the developed vermicompost is at 4.76%, 1.46%, and 5.1%. Overall, this research offers a promising solution to treat dairy wastewater and transform generated waste sludge into a valuable resource, highlighting the importance of technology adaptation in the dairy industry.

Chronostratigraphy elucidates environmental changes in lacustrine sedimentation rates and metal accumulation

All changes taking place in a watershed have repercussions on lacustrine environments, being these, the sink of all activities occurring in the basin. Lake Titicaca, the world's highest and navigable lake, is not unfamiliar with these phenomena that can alter the sedimentation dynamics and metal accumulation. This study aimed to identify temporal trends of sedimentation rates by employing a geochronological analysis (²¹⁰Pb, ¹³⁷Cs) and to propose metal background values in Puno Bay, as well as to identify metal concentrations (As, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, K, Mg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Zn) in the projected timeline to propose, for the first time, background values in Puno Bay. Two sediment cores were collected from the outer and inner bays. Sediment rate (SR) was calculated through the excess of ²¹⁰Pb (²¹⁰Pb_xs) applying the Constant Flux Constant Sedimentation (CFCS) model. Results show that SR in the outer bay was 0.48 ± 0.08 cm a^-1 and for the inner bay was 0.64 ± 0.07 cm a^-1. Sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) did not indicate toxicity was likely to occur, except for As. However, enrichment factors (EFs) indicated that all metal accumulation is geogenic. Climatic factors had a marked influence on sedimentation rates for the outer bay, and in the case of the inner bay, it was a sum of climatic and human-based factors.