Geophagus brasiliensis (Teleostei: Cichlidae) as an indicator of toxicity of ornamental stone processing wastes

Abstract Massive exploitation of geological resources may lead to environmental issues due to the inadequate disposal of the processing wastes, which are potentially hazard to terrestrial and aquatic environments. To evaluate the toxic effects ornamental stones processing wastes (OSPW), Geophagus brasiliensis fish were contaminated with different concentrations of OSPW (250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg/L). The contaminated aquarium water showed increased total hardness and Ca, Na, K, Mg and Mn content, which lead to bioconcentration of Na+, K+ and Mg2+ in G. brasiliensis gills. The highest concentration of OSPW induced slight to moderate histopathological lesions in gills of exposed fish, such as structural detachment, hyperplasia of the lamellar epithelium and incomplete fusion of several lamellae. Micronucleus and comet assays revealed a dose-dependent genotoxic damage in fish exposed to the contaminant. The biochemical analysis revealed a slight increase in catalase and reduction in superoxide dismutase activities in exposed fish, indicating that OSPW affects the oxidative stress of G. brasiliensis. The no observed effect concentration (NOEC) and lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) parameters indicate that low concentrations of OSPW (even under 250 mg/L) may be detrimental to exposed organisms by causing oxidative damage. This study demonstrates the toxic potential of OSPW in G. brasiliensis, even in short-term exposure, revealing some morphologic and molecular parameters that may be used as biomarkers in monitoring aquatic ecosystems contaminated with this effluent.