Abstract

MANJARREZ PABA, Ganiveth; CASTRO ANGULO, Ildefonso  and  UTRIA PADILLA, Leidys. Bioacumulación de cadmio en ostras de la bahía de Cartagena: Bio-accumulation cadmium in oysters of Cartagena bay. Rev. ing. univ. Medellin [online]. 2008, vol.7, n.13, pp.11-20. ISSN 1692-3324.

Cartagena Bay is one of the most contaminated bodies of water in the city, probably due to the industries around it; some of them dispose of their waste in it, with little or no treatment. Currently, heavy metals such as cadmium, dredging and filling, thermal effluents and sedimentation are causing the degradation of the ecosystem of the bay at an alarming rate. This investigation found concentrations of cadmium in oysters which are caught in six strategic points of the Bay: Álcalis, Bocachica, Caño Loro, Caño Zapatero, Cienaga Honda, and the Free Zone. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the mean values of Cd concentrations in oysters in each one of the samples taken, and that Cienaga Honda and Bocachica were the places where the highest concentration of metal in oysters was detected (25.79 mg Cd/kg and 15.11 mg Cd/kg, respectively). This study demonstrates the risk people who consume oysters have at the Bay of Cartagena and allows warning relevant authorities about the control at critical points.

Keywords : Oysters; Cadmium; Pollution; Water; Metal; Ca.

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