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      Trace metal analysis in sea grasses from Mexican Caribbean Coast by particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE)

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          Abstract

          The growing urban and tourist activity in the Mexican Caribbean coasts has resulted in an increase of chemical substances, metals in particular, discharged to the coastal waters. In order to reach an adequate management and conservation of these marine ecosystems it is necessary to perform an inventory of the actual conditions that reflect the vulnerability and the level of damage. Sea-grasses are considered good biological indicators of heavy metal contamination in marine systems. The goal of this preliminary work is to evaluate the concentrations of trace metals such as Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, and Pb in Thalassia testudinum, a very common sea-grass in the Mexican Caribbean Sea. Samples were collected from several locations in the coasts of the Yucatan Peninsula: Holbox, Blanquizal and Punta Allen, areas virtually uninfluenced by anthropogenic activities. Trace elements in different part plants were determined by particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE). This is a very suitable technique since it offers a fast, accurate and multi-element analysis. Also, the analysis by PIXE can be performed directly on powdered leaves without a laborious sample preparation. The trace metal concentration determined in sea-grasses growing in Caribbean generally fall in the range of the lowest valuables reported for sea grasses from the Gulf of México. The results indicate that the studied areas do not present contamination by heavy metals.

          Translated abstract

          El crecimiento de las actividades urbanas y turísticas en las costas del Caribe mexicano ha resultado en un incremento de las sustancias químicas, metales en particular y descargas en las aguas costeras. Con el objetivo de practicar un adecuado manejo y conservación de estos ecosistemas marinos es necesario levantar un inventario de las condiciones que refleje la vulnerabilidad y el nivel de daño. Los pastos marinos son considerados buenos indicadores biológicos de contaminación por metales pesados en sistemas marinos. El objetivo de este trabajo preliminar es evaluar la concentración de los metales trazas Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, y Pb en la Thalassia testudinum, un pasto marino muy común en el mar Caribe mexicano. Las muestras fueron colectadas en varias localidades de las costas de la Península de Yucatán: Holbox, Blanquizal y Punta Allen, áreas que están virtualmente influenciadas por actividad antropogénica. Se determinó la concentración de los elementos trazas estudiados en diferentes partes de la planta por la técnica de emisión de rayos X inducida por partículas (PIXE). Esta es una técnica muy ventajosa pues puede llevarse a cabo directamente en la muestra macerada sin una laboriosa preparación de la misma. Los valores de las concentraciones de los metales trazas determinadas en los pastos marinos que crecen en el Caribe son generalmente las menores reportadas para pastos marinos en el Golfo de México. Estos resultados indican que el área estudiada no presenta contaminación debida a metales pesados.

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          Most cited references14

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          Golfo de México, contaminación e impacto ambiental: diagnóstico y tendencias, EPOMEX

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            PIXE: a novel technique for elemental analysis

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              Nucl. Instr and Meth B

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                Author and article information

                Journal
                rmf
                Revista mexicana de física
                Rev. mex. fis.
                Sociedad Mexicana de Física (México, DF, Mexico )
                0035-001X
                February 2008
                : 54
                : suppl 1
                : 50-53
                Affiliations
                [02] México D.F orgnameUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México orgdiv1Instituto de Investigación en Materiales México
                [01] México D.F orgnameUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México orgdiv1Instituto de Física orgdiv2Departamento de Física Experimental México corina@ 123456fisica.unam.mx
                Article
                S0035-001X2008000700012 S0035-001X(08)05400000012
                f310ca54-ede3-4a31-8ca2-b72fe6216594

                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

                History
                : 26 October 2007
                : 14 May 2007
                Page count
                Figures: 0, Tables: 0, Equations: 0, References: 11, Pages: 4
                Product

                SciELO Mexico


                Elementos Traza,Trace metals,PIXE,monitores biológicos,seagrass,pastos marinos,biomonitors

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