Mercury in Harbour Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) From the Bay of Fundy Region

1972 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1644-1646 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. E. Gaskin ◽  
K. Ishida ◽  
R. Frank

During 1969–71, 41 muscle and 20 liver samples were collected from harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the Bay of Fundy region. These tissues were analyzed for total mercury content. Total Hg levels ranged from 0.21 to 1.92 ppm (average 0.75) in muscle tissue of males and from 0.26 to 2.58 ppm(average 1.02) in muscle tissue of females; from 0.89 to 18.30 ppm in liver tissue of males and from 0.55 to 91.30 ppm in liver tissue of females. Averages for the two latter series would be meaningless. A limited number (four muscle and six liver samples) of determinations of the methylated fraction were also made. In the muscle, Hg was virtually 100% methylated; in the liver the methylated fraction varied from 7.4 to 41%, being lowest in livers with highest total Hg.

1973 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. E. Gaskin ◽  
R. Frank ◽  
M. Holdrinet ◽  
K. Ishida ◽  
C. J. Walton ◽  
...  

Samples of blubber, longissimus muscle, liver, and cerebrum from 12 harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) were analyzed for DDT, dieldrin, PCBs, and total mercury content. The results were compared with those obtained previously for harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). DDT and PCB levels appear to be of the same magnitude in the fat of seals from both southern New Brunswick and southern Maine, being lowest in a lactating female. Virtually no o,p′-DDT and relatively little dieldrin were found in seal fat, in contrast to porpoises, which contained significant amounts of both in the depot fat. Mercury levels were generally similar to those found for porpoises, but total liver Hg was considerably greater in adults from the New Brunswick islands than in those from the southern Maine ledges.


1986 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 309 ◽  
Author(s):  
JM Lyle

Total mercury, alkyl mercury and selenium concentrations in the muscle tissue of 15 carcharhinid (Carcharhinus sp., C. limbatus, C. sorrah, C. fitzroyensis, C. amblyrhynchoides, C. melanopterus, C. cautus, C. amboinensis, C. macloti, C. dussumieri, C. brevipinna, Rhizoprionodon acutus, R. taylori, Galeocerdo cuvieri, Negaprion acutidens) and three hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini, S. mokarran and S. blochii) sharks from northern Australian waters are reported. Total mercury concentrations ranged widely with maximum individual concentrations exceeding 1.5 mg kg-1 wet weight in 11 species and values of over 3.0 mg kg-1 in Carcharhinus sp., C. amblyrhynchoides, C. melanopterus, C. amboinensis and S. mokarran. Much of the variability in total mercury concentration was attributable to differences in length. Total mercury was adequately correlated with fork length by the power function relationship. There were signficiant differences in these relationships for males and females of six species: males had higher concentrations of mercury than females of the same size. Weighted mean mercury concentrations were calculated using species and size composition data from commercial feasibility fishing trials. Weighted means for species other than C. sorrah, C. macloti, C. brevipinna and C. dussumieri were greater than 0.5 mg kg-1 and the value for the combined catch of all species was 1.22 mg kg-1. Alkyl mercury comprised over 80% of the total mercury content in the muscle tissue. Maximum individual selenium concentrations were greater than 1.0 mg kg-1 in nine species and the maximum concentration recorded was 3.4 mg kg-1 for C. dussumieri. There were no obvious or consistent relationships between selenium concentration and fork length or between selenium and mercury concentrations.


2008 ◽  
Vol 52 (No. 4) ◽  
pp. 175-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Srebocan ◽  
J. Pompe-Gotal ◽  
A. Prevendar-Crnic ◽  
E. Ofner

Levels of total mercury in the muscle (29 samples) and liver tissue (15 samples) of bluefin tuna (<i>Thunnus thynnus</i>) weighing 100&minus;300 kg were determined by cold vapour atomic absorption (AA) spectroscopy. Tunas were previously captured in the waters of Malta, towed to the farm in the Adriatic Sea and fattened with defrosted herring and sardine for the period of 6 to 7 months. The purpose of the investigation was to determine the magnitude of mercury contamination and to ascertain whether the concentrations in muscle tissue exceeded the maximum level defined by the European Commission Decision (1 &mu;g/g wet weight). Total mercury concentrations in the muscle tissue of tunas ranged from 0.49 to 1.809 (median 0.899 &mu;g/g wet weight) while in the liver tissue it was from 0.324 to 3.248 (median 1.165 &mu;g/g wet weight). Total mercury concentrations in six samples of sardine ranged from 0.050 to 0.072 &mu;g/g wet weight while two samples of herring contained 0.020 and 0.053 &mu;g/g wet weight. Twelve out of 29 (41%) muscle samples of tuna contained mercury above the maximum level defined by the European Commission Decision. It is generally believed that mercury levels in Mediterranean fish are higher than those of the other seas or oceans due to numerous deposits of mercury ores and metallic mercury in surrounding countries.


2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 741-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana Aparecida Farias ◽  
Déborah Inês Fávaro ◽  
José Osman Santos ◽  
Marina Beatriz Vasconsellos ◽  
Artemiza Pessôa ◽  
...  

This study evaluated different cooking processes (roasted, cooked and fried) on total mercury (Hg) content in fish species most consumed by Manaus residents and surrounding communities, Amazon region. The results obtained for total Hg in natura and after the three types of preparation (roasted, cooked and fried) for 12 fish species showed a significant Hg concentration variation. In the present study the cooked and frying processes resulted in higher Hg losses for Pacu, Pescada, Jaraqui, Curimatã, Surubin and Aruanã fish species, most of them presenting detritivorous and carnivorous feeding habits. The higher Hg losses in the roasting process occurred for Sardinha, Aracu, Tucunaré, Pirapitinga, Branquinha and Tambaqui fish species, most of them being omnivorous and herbivorous fish species. Some micronutrients (Ca, Fe, K, Na, Se and Zn) in fish species in natura were also determined in order to perform a nutritional evaluation regarding these micronutrients.


2006 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 579-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Maršálek ◽  
Z. Svobodová ◽  
T. Randák

The aim of the study was to evaluate total mercury Hg and methylmercury MeHg contamination in muscle tissues of fish collected in 2002 from the Labe (Elbe) river at sites upstream of Pardubice and downstream of Pardubice and Hřensko, and in 2004 from the Labe river upstream and downstream of the Spolana factory in Neratovice, and from the Vltava river downstream of Lenora. Eighty eight fish of the following species were sampled: bream (Abramis brama L.), perch (Perca fluviatilis L.), chub (Leuciscus cephalus L.) and barbel (Barbus barbus L.). Total mercury content in chub, perch and bream was in the range of 0.05 - 1.96 mg kg-1 w.w., 0. 09 - 1.46 mg kg-1 w.w. and 0.35 - 0.82 mg kg-1 w.w., respectively. Methylmercury content in chub, perch and bream was in the range of 0.04 - 2.11 mg kg-1 w.w., 0.1 - 1.73 mg kg-1 w.w. and 0.371 - 0.650 mg kg-1 w.w., respectively. Significant correlation (p < 0.05) was found between contents of THg and MeHg and both the weight and the age of fish. Significant differences (p < 0.05) between THg and MeHg contents were found between individual sites. In 2002, for example, the most contaminated fish were found downstream of Pardubice, followed by fish from upstream of Pardubice and from Hřensko. In 2004, fish from downstream and upstream of the Spolana factory in Neratovice were more contaminated than fish from the Vltava river downstream of Lenora. The methylmercury-tototal mercury ratio in muscle tissue was close to 1.0.


2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-120
Author(s):  
Zahra Khoshnood ◽  
Reza Khoshnood

Abstract In 2009, 36 fish were sampled from two stations in the Karoon River near an industrial site. Two species of fish, Barbus grypus and Hypophthalmichthys molitrix were analyzed for total mercury (Hg) concentration in liver and muscle tissues. The average concentrations of total Hg in liver of B. grypus were 18.92 and 10.19 μg.g-1 in stations 1 and 2 respectively. The corresponding values for total Hg in edible muscle of Barbus grypus were 8.47 and 0.08 μg.g-1. The average concentrations of Hg in the liver of H. molitrix were 25.49 and 12.52 μg.g-1 in stations 1 and 2 respectively. The values for H. molitrix were 11.88 and 3.2 μg.g-1 in station 1 and station 2 respectively. The results showed that the bioavailability of Hg has increased considerably after industrialization and that these values were higher than the standard values as a result of anthropogenic activities in the region.


2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Ryba ◽  
J. L. Lake ◽  
J. R. Serbst ◽  
A. D. Libby ◽  
S. Ayvazian

Environmental context. In the development of fish consumption advisories, fisheries biologists routinely sacrifice fish and analyse muscle fillets in order to determine the extent of mercury contamination. Such lethal techniques may not be suitable for endangered species or limited fish populations from smaller-sized water bodies. We compared the measured total mercury concentrations in tail fin clips to that of muscle fillets and illustrated that tail fin clips may be used as an accurate tool for predicting mercury in muscle tissue. This is the first study on the use of tail fin clips to predict mercury levels in the muscle tissue of largemouth bass with minimal impact on the fish. Abstract. The statistical relationship between total mercury (Hg) concentration in clips from the caudal fin and muscle tissue of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from 26 freshwater sites in Rhode Island, USA was developed and evaluated to determine the utility of fin clip analysis as a non-lethal and convenient method for predicting mercury concentrations in tissues. The relationship of total Hg concentrations in fin clips and muscle tissue showed an r2 of 0.85 and may be compared with an r2 of 0.89 for Hg concentrations between scales and muscle tissue that was determined in a previous study on largemouth bass. The Hg concentration in fin clip samples (mean = 0.261 μg g–1 (dry)) was more than a factor of twenty greater than in the scale samples (mean = 0.012 μg g–1 (dry)). Therefore, fin clips may be a more responsive non-lethal predictor of muscle-Hg concentrations than scale in fish species which may have reduced Hg concentrations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 19-23
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Sergeevna Bachina ◽  
Olga Yurievna Rumiantseva ◽  
Elena Sergeevna Ivanova ◽  
Viktor Trofimovic Komov ◽  
Marina Andreevna Guseva ◽  
...  

Mercury (Hg) and its compounds are considered as one of the ten major dangerous groups of chemicals. The content of mercury in the coat was 136 cats and 113 dogs in the territory of the Vologda Region in Cherepovets. The total mercury concentration in the wool samples was measured on a mercury analyzer RA-915 +. The values of the mercury index in cats range from less than 0,001 mg / kg to 13,00 mg / kg, in dogs from less than 0,001 mg / kg to 1,858 mg / kg. Statistical difference in the content of mercury in wool between cats and dogs was revealed. The Hg content in cats is 3,5 times higher than the dogs have. Comparison analysis showed the concentration of mercury in the wool of cats and dogs have no statistically significant differences. The authors noted that cats had 4 times more mercury who ate fish. The average content of Hg in the wool of dogs is slightly different for those who ate fish.


2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (04) ◽  
pp. 709-714
Author(s):  
FUAD AHMAD SIDDIQI ◽  
RIZWANA KITCHLEW ◽  
ASIF HASHMI

Objective: To study the safety and efficacy of Surecut needle in obtaining the liver tissue by percutaneous liver biopsy. Design: Single centered prospective hospital based study. Place and duration of study: Department of Internal medicine (Unit-1) & Family ward, Combined military hospital Lahore for more than one year from August 2002 to March 2004. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty patients of either gender having asymptomatic hepatitis C carrier state, healthy blood donors, with positive HCV-PCR were included in study. The patients liver biopsy was done with Surecut needle 16G with patient breath suspended in expiration from the periphery of right lobe of liver. Result: Majority of patients, 135 ( 90% ) were male and 15 (10%) were female. The mean age was 30.3 years with range of 25-55years. In 146(97.31%)patients successful biopsy was done while the biopsy was non-diagnostic in 4(2.69%) patients. Mean core length of liver tissue obtained was Mean+sd(1.2+0.42cm) and histopathologic diagnosis was made in 97.31% cases. Total number of attempts were 1-2. In 99% single attempt was done. No major complications related to procedure was seen. Conclusions: liver biopsy with Surecut needle is safe and effective in establishing the diagnosis of Chronic hepatitis.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document