Evaluación de la concentración de Mercurio (Hg) en agua y peces del río Mira. parroquia Lita

In Ecuador, mining activities pose a source of contamination to water sources due to the release of heavy metals into nearby rivers, which can enter animals such as fish through the digestive tract. This research aimed to assess mercury (Hg) pollution levels in both fish and water from the Mira River in the Lita parish, considering its significant mining activity and the use of its water for irrigation, with the fish being consumed by the local population. The methodology employed was descriptive-quantitative, utilizing non-probabilistic sampling based on the researcher's criteria, involving 150 fishermen who are actively engaged in fishing. Three communities were identified, with each considered a sampling point, resulting in a total of 18 samples for both water and fish. Water samples followed the guidelines of the NTE 2176 standard, while fish samples adhered to the Ecuadorian Technical Standard NTE-INEN 183:2013. Mercury concentration was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry with a hydride generator, employing the EPA 245.1 method for water and the AOAC 977.15 method for fish. The results revealed that the most captured and consumed fish species was the Sábalo, representing 33% of responses, followed by the Sabaleta (21%), collectively constituting more than 50% of the sample. Regarding the concentration of mercury in the tissue of the Sábalo fish, it was found that the levels did not exceed 0.5 mg/kg in accordance with the NTE-INEN 183:2013 standard.

En el Ecuador las actividades mineras son una fuente de contaminación para las fuentes hídricas debido a la liberación de metales pesados dentro de ríos cercanos y por la cual puede ingresar en anímales como los peces a través del tracto digestivo. En esta investigación se evaluó los niveles de contaminación por mercurio (Hg) en peces y agua del Río Mira en la parroquia Lita, ya que es una zona donde se presenta actividad minera importante siendo su agua empleada para el riego y los peces consumidos por la población. La metodología aplicada fue descriptiva – cuantitativa con un muestreo no probabilístico a criterio del investigador para lo cual se escogió a 150 pescadores que más realizan esta actividad. De esta manera se identificaron tres comunidades considerando a cada una de ellas un punto de muestreo, obteniendo 18 muestras tanto de agua como de peces, para la muestra de agua se siguió lo establecido por la norma NTE 2176 y para los peces la Norma Técnica Ecuatoriana NTE-INEN 183:2013. La concentración de mercurio se determinó mediante espectrofotometría de absorción atómica con generador de hidruros, método EPA 245.1 (agua) y AOAC 977.15 (peces). Los resultados revelaron que el pez más capturado y consumido es el Sábalo predominando en un 33% de respuestas, seguid por la Sabaleta (21%) representado estas especies más del 50% de la muestra. En relación con la concentración de mercurio en el tejido del pez sábalo, se verifica que los niveles no superan los 0,5 mg/kg de acuerdo con la normativa NTE-INEN 183:2013.

In Ecuador, mining activities pose a source of contamination to water sources due to the release of heavy metals into nearby rivers, which can enter animals such as fish through the digestive tract. This research aimed to assess mercury (Hg) pollution levels in both fish and water from the Mira River in the Lita parish, considering its significant mining activity and the use of its water for irrigation, with the fish being consumed by the local population. The methodology employed was descriptive-quantitative, utilizing non-probabilistic sampling based on the researcher's criteria, involving 150 fishermen who are actively engaged in fishing. Three communities were identified, with each considered a sampling point, resulting in a total of 18 samples for both water and fish. Water samples followed the guidelines of the NTE 2176 standard, while fish samples adhered to the Ecuadorian Technical Standard NTE-INEN 183:2013. Mercury concentration was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry with a hydride generator, employing the EPA 245.1 method for water and the AOAC 977.15 method for fish. The results revealed that the most captured and consumed fish species was the Sábalo, representing 33% of responses, followed by the Sabaleta (21%), collectively constituting more than 50% of the sample. Regarding the concentration of mercury in the tissue of the Sábalo fish, it was found that the levels did not exceed 0.5 mg/kg in accordance with the NTE-INEN 183:2013 standard.