Abstract
Bennett JF, Campbell J, Rippey B, Douglas R. 2026. Determination of aluminum in fish tissue to assess the safety of phosphorus fixing chemicals: the case of two Irish lakes. Lake Reserv Manage. XXX–XXX.
Phosphorus (P) fixing chemicals have been used for over 4 decades to counteract lake eutrophication by reducing internal P loading. In this study, an aluminum sulfate application was implemented in 2 shallow lakes in Ireland. A treatment targeting the water column added about 1 mg/L or 4 g/m2 of aluminum. Comparison of liver, gill, and muscle tissue from fish captured before and after treatment indicated no increase in aluminum concentrations up to 2 months after treatment. Muscle tissue contained less aluminum than gills or liver. Aluminum concentrations reported in edible fish tissue in these 2 lakes were lower than in multiple other studies and safety thresholds suggested by international health organizations. Despite some limitations of the research, such as the short sampling duration and low treatment dose, no results suggested any potential health hazard from consumption of fish in these treated lakes.
Phosphorus (P) fixing chemicals have been used for over 4 decades to counteract lake eutrophication by reducing internal P loading. In this study, an aluminum sulfate application was implemented in 2 shallow lakes in Ireland. A treatment targeting the water column added about 1 mg/L or 4 g/m2 of aluminum. Comparison of liver, gill, and muscle tissue from fish captured before and after treatment indicated no increase in aluminum concentrations up to 2 months after treatment. Muscle tissue contained less aluminum than gills or liver. Aluminum concentrations reported in edible fish tissue in these 2 lakes were lower than in multiple other studies and safety thresholds suggested by international health organizations. Despite some limitations of the research, such as the short sampling duration and low treatment dose, no results suggested any potential health hazard from consumption of fish in these treated lakes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-9 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Lake and Reservoir Management |
| Early online date | 8 Jan 2026 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published online - 8 Jan 2026 |
Bibliographical note
Part of the research was funded by the Vice-Chancellor’s Research Scholarships from Ulster University and Catchment CARE, which is supported by the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme. We also gratefully acknowledge the comments of 3 anonymous reviewers, which contributed to improving the quality of the article.Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Funding
This study was supported by Catchment CARE (Interreg VA).
Keywords
- Accumulation
- aluminum fish
- lake restoration
- tissue acid digestion
- fish
- aluminum
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Dive into the research topics of 'Determination of aluminum in fish tissue to assess the safety of phosphorus fixing chemicals: the case of two Irish lakes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Student theses
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Remediation of freshwater Irish shallow lakes using phosphorus fixing chemicals
Bennett, J. F. (Author), Arnscheidt, J. (Supervisor) & Douglas, R. (Supervisor), Aug 2025Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis
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