Effect of environmental pollutants on fish health: An overview

Abstract

Pollution can affect aquatic organisms in a number of ways, including decreasing the amount of dissolved oxygen, changing the pH of the water, and introducing toxic chemicals. These alterations can be lethal to different aquatic organisms, and might cause large-scale mortalities. Additionally, pollution can also have long-term impacts on aquatic ecosystems. For example, chronic exposure to even low levels of pollutants can lead to suppression of the immune system, reproductive problems, and the development of abnormalities in aquatic habitats. Effects of heavy metals and pesticides on aquatic animals particularly fish cause severe loss in aquaculture production when their levels exceed safe limits. These impacts can eventually reduce the overall health and biodiversity of aquatic environments, and can also have a negative impact on human health. As there is worldwide minimal data on the effect that pollution has on the health of fish and shellfish, this review highlights the uptake and accumulation process of heavy metals and their role as oxidative stressors. It also focuses on some of the major pesticide-induced toxicological effects in fish.

Keywords

• Environmental pollution
• Human health hazards
• Pesticides
• Aquatic organism
• Water quality criteria
• Oxidative stress