Use of Tradescantia pallida (Rose) DR Hunt var. purpurea Boom (Commelinaceae) as biomonitor and bioaccumulator in water sources which is not indicated for population's supply

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the quality of water from different waterspouts, which is frequently consumed by urban population, without control and without supervision. The samples are from country towns of (I) Cabreúva, (II) Cajamar and (III) Jundiaí, respectively, all situated in São Paulo State, in Brazil. For this analysis, we used the Trad-MCN methods, with the Tradescantia pallida (Rose) DR Hunt var. purpurea Boom (Commelinaceae), to identify and quantify the presence of micronucleus and estimate the mutagenesis rate. The microbiological and physical-chemical analysis (turbidity, phosphate, pH, temperature, ammonium, and coliforms) are obtained by reagents for aquarium testing and Ecokit II Alfakit®. Cabreúva’s waterspout presented bigger mutagenic power when compared to others, and it was the only sample containing fecal coliforms. All the experimental samples presented the toxicity. We observed the big expression of the micronucleus when the T. pallida purpurea was incubated within the three samples. The coliforms values observed in the samples were above of those permitted by law. The authorities must better inspect the waters source and request the people not to consume the water from these places.