Preliminary Evaluation of the Use of Phosphogypsum for Reef Substrate. I. A Laboratory Study of Bioaccumulation of Radium and Six Heavy Metals in an Aquatic Food Chain

Abstract

Phosphogypsum (PG), a solid by-product of phosphoric acid production, contains radionuclides and trace metals in concentrations which may pose a potential hazard to human health and the environment. to investigate the possibility of bioaccumulation of radium and six heavy metals over time when aquatic organisms experience both trophic and environmental exposure to PG, we designed a laboratory experiment representing three levels of an aquatic food chain. During the 135 day experiment, a meiobenthic copepod species (Amphiascoides atopus) was cultured in the presence of PG. the copepods were subsequently fed to grass shrimp (Palaemonetes vulgaris and P. pugio) which were in turn fed to gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis); both the grass shrimp and the killifish also experienced an environmental PG exposure. Other than elevated radium levels in the experimental grass shrimp, the experiment demonstrated little effect of environmental or trophic exposure to PG on microinvertebrates, macroinvertebrates, or fishes that could be attributed to PG. in all cases where increased concentrations were indicated within the experimental group, roughly equivalent increases in metal concentrations also occurred in the control group.

Key Words:

• Phosphogypsum
• radium
• copper
• zinc
• arsenic
• lead
• cadmium
• chromium