Evaluation of water samples from a river by cytologic analysis in allium cepa

Abstract

The potential induction of the chromosomic aberration of water samples from Santa Maria da Vitória River was evaluated by the Allium cepa test-system. This river supplies approximately 30% of the Grande Vitória region with water. The main environmental impact on this river are from domestic effluents from the municipal districts and agrotoxic contaminations. Water samples were collected in 5 sites in the rainy season (March-high temperatures) and in the dry season (August-low temperatures) of 2006, and 2 treatments-acute and chronic-were performed. The chromosomic aberration index was significantly higher in 2 sites of this river and also in the rainy season compared with the dry season. This genotoxic effect may be related to agricultural influence and to domestic effluents that occur close to these 2 sites and to the presence of fertilizers, pesticides and iron oxide from the basin soils that are leached out by the rain and reach the river. © 2012 The Japan Mendel Society.