Since February 24, 2022, Ukraine has been experiencing large-scale military operations that have led to the destruction of infrastructure and significant environmental pollution, including water bodies, with toxic compounds, especially heavy metals. Heavy metals are capable of bioaccumulation, do not dissolve or decompose in water. Pollution with them affects the physiological and morphological parameters of fish, which worsens their quality as a food product and poses a threat to public health. The purpose of the study was to investigate the long-term effect of copper at a background concentration on the protective mechanisms of fish
As an innovative approach to reducing heavy metal pollution, we propose the creation of a constructed wetland, an engineered shallow coastal zone that combines natural and artificial components to improve the filtration and accumulation of heavy metals.
This is how I came up with the idea for this project:Once a shell hit a water body in my native region, and it made me think about the consequences: how it would affect the ecosystem and its further development?
Will heavy metals really reduce the number of fish?The effect of chronic copper exposure (20 μg/L), recorded in militarized water bodies of Ukraine, was studied on fish (Poecilia reticulata). Malondialdehyde content in the liver, gills, and muscles increased significantly, and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) enzymatic activity was suppressed. Oxidative stress caused fatty hepatosis, gill lamellae destruction, and structural changes in fish eggs. Chronic copper intoxication poses a potential threat to fish resources.
