Mercury Elimination by a Top Predator, <i>Esox lucius</i>

Walleghem, Jillian L. A. Van; Blanchfield, Paul J.; Hrenchuk, Lee E.; Hintelmann, Holger

doi:10.1021/es304332v

Cited by 34 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Both laboratory and manipulative field studies have demonstrated that fish eliminate MeHg very slowly [41,42,43]. For example, Van Walleghen and colleagues [43] monitored Hg(II) in northern pike, which had naturally accumulated isotope-enriched MeHg through a whole-lake loading study, after their transfer to a different lake.…”

Section: Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Van Walleghen and colleagues [43] monitored Hg(II) in northern pike, which had naturally accumulated isotope-enriched MeHg through a whole-lake loading study, after their transfer to a different lake. Spiked Hg(II) was detected in muscle samples over the course of the 7-year study, and the authors estimated the half-life of Hg(II) in muscle at 3.3 years.…”

Section: Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Review of Mercury Bioavailability in Humans and Fish

Bradley

Barst

Basu

2017

IJERPH

179

100

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To estimate human exposure to methylmercury (MeHg), risk assessors often assume 95%–100% bioavailability in their models. However, recent research suggests that assuming all, or most, of the ingested mercury (Hg) is absorbed into systemic circulation may be erroneous. The objective of this paper is to review and discuss the available state of knowledge concerning the assimilation or bioavailability of Hg in fish and humans. In fish, this meant reviewing studies on assimilation efficiency, that is the difference between ingested and excreted Hg over a given period of time. In humans, this meant reviewing studies that mostly investigated bioaccessibility (digestive processes) rather than bioavailability (cumulative digestive + absorptive processes), although studies incorporating absorption for a fuller picture of bioavailability were also included where possible. The outcome of this review shows that in a variety of organisms and experimental models that Hg bioavailability and assimilation is less than 100%. Specifically, 25 studies on fish were reviewed, and assimilation efficiencies ranged from 10% to 100% for MeHg and from 2% to 51% for Hg(II). For humans, 20 studies were reviewed with bioaccessibility estimates ranging from 2% to 100% for MeHg and 0.2% to 94% for Hg(II). The overall absorption estimates ranged from 12% to 79% for MeHg and 49% to 69% for Hg(II), and were consistently less than 100%. For both fish and humans, a number of cases are discussed in which factors (e.g., Hg source, cooking methods, nutrients) are shown to affect Hg bioavailability. The summaries presented here challenge a widely-held assumption in the Hg risk assessment field, and the paper discusses possible ways forward for the field.

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Section: Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Mercury Bioavailability in Humans and Fish

Bradley

Barst

Basu

2017

IJERPH

179

100

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Although the rate at which fish eliminate Hg from their bodies is slow, Hg-elimination rates are measurable [41–43]. In contrast, long-term decreases in the PCB body burden of fish are undetectable.…”

Section: Sex Difference In Pcb Concentrations Versus Sex Difference Imentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the rates of Hg elimination by fish may be slower than those portrayed in the Hg elimination submodel based on recent research. Results from a set of whole-lake manipulation experiments involving isotopically enriched Hg suggested that the Hg elimination submodel overestimated Hg-elimination rates for yellow perch and northern pike by 49 to 209 %, depending on whether the chronic exposure form or the acute exposure form of the Hg elimination submodel was used [42, 43]. In sum, the Hg mass balance models may need further refinement to account for species-specific Hg-elimination rates.…”

Section: Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in contaminant concentrations of fish: a synthesis

et al. 2016

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A comparison of whole-fish polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and total mercury (Hg) concentrations in mature males with those in mature females may provide insights into sex differences in behavior, metabolism, and other physiological processes. In eight species of fish, we observed that males exceeded females in whole-fish PCB concentration by 17 to 43 %. Based on results from hypothesis testing, we concluded that these sex differences were most likely primarily driven by a higher rate of energy expenditure, stemming from higher resting metabolic rate (or standard metabolic rate (SMR)) and higher swimming activity, in males compared with females. A higher rate of energy expenditure led to a higher rate of food consumption, which, in turn, resulted in a higher rate of PCB accumulation. For two fish species, the growth dilution effect also made a substantial contribution to the sex difference in PCB concentrations, although the higher energy expenditure rate for males was still the primary driver. Hg concentration data were available for five of the eight species. For four of these five species, the ratio of PCB concentration in males to PCB concentration in females was substantially greater than the ratio of Hg concentration in males to Hg concentration in females. In sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), a very primitive fish, the two ratios were nearly identical. The most plausible explanation for this pattern was that certain androgens, such as testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone, enhanced Hg-elimination rate in males. In contrast, long-term elimination of PCBs is negligible for both sexes. According to this explanation, males not only ingest Hg at a higher rate than females but also eliminate Hg at a higher rate than females, in fish species other than sea lamprey. Male sea lamprey do not possess either of the above-specified androgens. These apparent sex differences in SMRs, activities, and Hg-elimination rates in teleost fishes may also apply, to some degree, to higher vertebrates including humans. Our synthesis findings will be useful in (1) developing sex-specific bioenergetics models for fish, (2) developing sex-specific risk assessment models for exposure of humans and wildlife to contaminants, and (3) refining Hg mass balance models for fish and higher vertebrates.

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“…Based on these incidents, the symptoms of MeHg poisoning were elucidated and include ataxia, dysarthria, tremor, narrowing of the visual field (including blindness), and, in severe cases, death (1, 7,19,20). In the aftermath of these events, the toxicokinetics of MeHg were examined, and it was found that MeHg is efficiently absorbed (41) but slowly excreted (28), leading to in vivo half-lives of 2 to 3 months in humans (7, 40). Additionally, 10% of the body burden of MeHg is in the brain (12), where MeHg is demethylated to inorganic mercury (28).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Postharvest Correlation between Swordfish (Xiphius gladius) Size and Mercury Concentration in Edible Tissues

Cladis¹,

Zhang²,

Tan³

et al. 2015

Journal of Food Protection

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Total mercury was measured via thermal decomposition amalgamation atomic absorption spectroscopy in the muscle tissue of 82 swordfish originating in the Pacific Ocean and was found to range from 228 to 2,090 ppb. The relationships between total mercury concentration and the size of the fish (i.e., length and weight) were analyzed. It was found that dressed weight (DW) was a better predictor of mercury concentration than cleithrum-to-caudal keel length in a single variable model, and DW was the only significant predictor of mercury concentration in a multivariable model. Based on these relationships, swordfish with a DW greater than 96.4 kg (213 lb; 95% confidence interval, 88 to 107 kg [195 to 235 lb]) will exceed 1,000 ppb of mercury-the action level in the United States, Canada, and Europe-and should not be sold in commercial markets. Additionally, a logistic regression model was created to illustrate the probability of a swordfish at any DW being unsafe to consume (i.e., containing more than 1,000 ppb of mercury). In this model, the probability of a swordfish being unsafe exceeds the probability of being safe at 94.6 kg (209 lb). Taken together, the models presented in this report give regulators valuable postharvest tools to use for rapid determination of the safety of swordfish intended for sale in commercial markets.

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Mercury Elimination by a Top Predator, Esox lucius

Cited by 34 publications

References 37 publications

A Review of Mercury Bioavailability in Humans and Fish

A Review of Mercury Bioavailability in Humans and Fish

Sex differences in contaminant concentrations of fish: a synthesis

Postharvest Correlation between Swordfish (Xiphius gladius) Size and Mercury Concentration in Edible Tissues

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