Occcurrence of methyl mercury in pike and baltic herring from the Turku archipelago
The content of methylmercury in pike and Baltic herring from seven different areas of the Turku archipelago (the southwestern coast of Finland) was studied. Pike muscle contained an average 0.27 mg Hg/kg on a fresh tissue basis. However, the concentrations of methyl mercury varied considerably between individuals from the same fish population, e.g., from 0.06 to 1.3 mg/kg, depending on the weight (and age) of fish. The values for methyl mercury in standardized weight (1 kg) pikes were on a natural level (varying between 0.19 to 0.25 mg/kg) in all other areas of the archipelago, except in the area near the city of Turku, where slight contamination (0.39 mg/kg) was noticed. In different tissues of pike the level of methyl mercury decreased in the following order: muscle tissue greater than liver greater than or equal to kidney much greater than gonads. Baltic herring muscle contained on average 0.09 mg Hg/kg, the value being only one-third of that of pike muscle.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Turku, Finland
- OSTI ID:
- 5165488
- Journal Information:
- Environ. Pollut. (London); (United States), Vol. 14:3
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Mercury in fish and waterfowl from Ball Lake, Ontario
PCB patterns in herring and pike with special regard to co-planar congeners
Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
METHYLMERCURY
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
AGE DEPENDENCE
FINLAND
FISHES
GONADS
KIDNEYS
LIVER
MUSCLES
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
TISSUES
WATER POLLUTION
WEIGHT
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BODY
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISTRIBUTION
EUROPE
GLANDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC MERCURY COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
POLLUTION
SCANDINAVIA
VERTEBRATES
560305* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Vertebrates- (-1987)
520200 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)