Total Mercury in Muscle Tissue of Five Shark Species from Brazilian Offshore Waters: Effects of Feeding Habit, Sex, and Length

Pinho, Alexandra Penedo de; Guimarães, Jean Rémy Davée; Martins, Agnaldo Silva; Costa, Paulo A. S.; Olavo, George; Valentin, Jean Louis

doi:10.1006/enrs.2002.4365

Cited by 138 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Comparable elevated levels are also documented in several demersal sharks, globally (De Pinho et al, 2002;. However, when comparing these results with those of our study, taxon and regional differences in Hg biomagnification do seem present.…”

Section: Interspecific Local and Regional Hg Variations In Sharks Musupporting

confidence: 75%

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Mercury in 16 demersal sharks from southeast Australia: Biotic and abiotic sources of variation and consumer health implications

Pethybridge

Cossa

Butler

2010

Marine Environmental Research

136

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International audienceTotal mercury (THg) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) concentrations were determined in the tissues of demersal shark (Order Squaliformes and the Families: Scyliorhinidae, Hexanchidae) and chimaera species (Families: Chimaeridae and Rhinochimaeridae) from continental shelf and slope waters off southeast Australia, including embryos, juveniles and adults. The distribution of THg in various tissues (muscle, liver, kidney, and skin), examined in ten species, shows higher levels in the muscle tissue (1.49 ± 0.47 mg kg, ww), which accounted for between 59 – 82% of the total body burden of mercury and in the kidney (0.93 ± 0.14 mg kg, ww) and liver (0.61 ± 0.25 mg kg, ww) with lower levels observed in the skin (0.12 ± 0.06 mg kg, ww). Additional THg determinations were performed in the muscle tissue of five other species allowing geographical and interspecific comparisons. Speciation analysis demonstrated that more than 90% mercury was bound in muscle tissue as MMHg with higher percentages (>95%) observed in sharks species occupying deeper environments. Species differences were observed. Highest THg levels in the muscle tissue (up to 6.64 mg kgwet weight, ww) were recorded in and (mean values; 4.47 ± 1.20 and 3.52 ± 0.07 mg kg, ww, respectively). Consistent with the ongoing paradigm on mercury bioaccumulation, we systematically observed THg concentrations increasing with animal size from the embryos to the larger sharks. Embryos of and had average levels 0.28 and 0.06 mg kg (ww), while adult specimens reached 3.3 and 2.3 mg kg (ww), respectively. THg concentrations in Australian sharks were compared with the same genus collected in other world regions. Levels were closer to data reported for East Atlantic than for the epicontinental Mediterranean margins. At a smaller geographical scale, the habitat effect on mercury concentration in sharks seems less clear. Squalid sharks occupying shelf waters showed higher mean mercury levels relative to their size (body weight, bw) than mid-slope species (0.4 – 6.7 mg kg bw and 0.3 – 2.2 mg kg bw, respectively). However, local regional differences (East and South Tasmania Victoria) in Hg levels were not detected for the majority of taxa examined. All species, with the exception of showed values greater than 0.5 mg kg (ww) and all but four were above many international regulatory thresholds (1.0 mg kg, ww)

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Section: Interspecific Local and Regional Hg Variations In Sharks Musupporting

confidence: 75%

“…Such phenomena have been observed in S. mitsukurii (Taguchi et al, 1979), and in Squalus megalops (De Pinho et al, 2002). Similar to most elasmobranchs, female demersal sharks have higher growth rates and are larger (sometimes up to 40%) than males (Daley et al, 2002), displaying sexual dimorphism.…”

Section: Mercury and Shark Life-cyclementioning

confidence: 85%

Mercury in 16 demersal sharks from southeast Australia: Biotic and abiotic sources of variation and consumer health implications

Pethybridge

Cossa

Butler

2010

Marine Environmental Research

136

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“…The predominant form of mercury in seafood is methyl mercury (NAS, 1991). This is the form that is most toxic to organisms, which it provokes deleterious effects in the nervous system and interferes with the process of cell division (Horvat, 2001;Pinho et al, 2002). Lead is a classic chronic or cumulative poison, which produces a continuum of deleterious effects on animals and humans (WHO, 2000).…”

Section: Non-essential Elementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interannual patterns of variation in concentrations of trace elements in arms of Octopus vulgaris

Seixas

Bustamante²,

Pierce³

2005

Chemosphere

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Concentrations of essential (copper, iron, manganese, selenium, and zinc) and non-essential (arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead) trace elements were measured in arms of Octopus vulgaris. The cephalopods were sampled from commercial fishery landings at two sites on the Portuguese coast in spring 2002 and 2003. Mercury was determined using an Advanced Mercury Analyser Spectrophotometer (AMAS) and other trace elements were measured using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Since high levels of arsenic were detected, identification of the forms present was carried out using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) followed by ICP-MS.Mean concentrations of trace elements analysed were in the following order: As > Zn > Fe > Cu ) Cd > Pb > Se > Mn ) Hg. The results of speciation of arsenic demonstrate that virtually all arsenic was in the arsenobetaine form, which is the less toxic form. The concentrations of several trace elements were generally high in samples from Viana in 2002. Cadmium concentrations were above the legal limit for human consumption in samples from Viana in 2002 and two of these animals also had lead concentrations that exceeded legal limits. Mercury appeared in all samples but levels were within legally defined safe limits. No relationship was detected between trace element concentrations and size or maturity of octopus.

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“…Organic mercury has a high affinity to lipids, allowing movement across cell membranes, and can interfere with cell metabolism (Pinho et al, 2002). Methyl mercury interferes with the process of cell division, causing daughter cells to receive an unequal number of chromosomes (nondisjunction; Law, 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As mercury elimination rates by organisms are very low, its concentration through food chains tends to increase (Pinho et al, 2002). Bioaccumulation in food webs of mercury is thus a concern.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accumulation of mercury in the tissues of the common octopus Octopus vulgaris (L.) in two localities on the Portuguese coast

Seixas

Bustamante

Pierce

2005

Science of The Total Environment

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Mercury concentrations were measured in tissues of 12 individuals of Octopus vulgaris, captured by the commercial fishery at two points along the Portuguese coast, Viana do Castelo and Cascais, in spring 2002. Concentrations were determined in six tissues (digestive gland, branchial hearts, gills, mantle, arms, and gonads). Correlations between mercury concentrations in different tissues were examined as were correlations between mercury levels and total length, mantle length, weight, gonadosomatic index, digestive gland index, and state of maturation. Differences between sexes and localities were analysed.The concentration of mercury in the digestive gland (Viana, 0.58F0.08, and Cascais, 3.43F2.57 mg/kg dry weight) was higher than in the other tissues, and values were generally similar to those recorded in previous studies on octopods. Arm muscle contained most of the mercury with 56% of the total body burden followed by the digestive gland with 31%, mantle with 11%, gills with 0.8%, gonad with 0.5%, and branchial heart with 0.2%. In all tissues, mercury concentrations were slightly higher in samples from Cascais than in Viana do Castelo, which is consistent with higher concentrations recorded in seawater at Cascais. Levels of mercury determined in octopus were within the range of values legally defined as safe for human consumption. D

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Total Mercury in Muscle Tissue of Five Shark Species from Brazilian Offshore Waters: Effects of Feeding Habit, Sex, and Length

Cited by 138 publications

References 28 publications

Mercury in 16 demersal sharks from southeast Australia: Biotic and abiotic sources of variation and consumer health implications

Mercury in 16 demersal sharks from southeast Australia: Biotic and abiotic sources of variation and consumer health implications

Interannual patterns of variation in concentrations of trace elements in arms of Octopus vulgaris

Accumulation of mercury in the tissues of the common octopus Octopus vulgaris (L.) in two localities on the Portuguese coast

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