Mercury, cadmium, and lead in British otters

Journal Article · Mon Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1986 · Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01607848· OSTI ID:6830885

Mason, C F; Last, N I; Macdonald, S M

Otters (subfamily Lutrinae), at the top of the food chain and feeding largely on fish, are likely to be especially vulnerable to the effects of bioaccumulating pollutants, while their aquatic habitat is often a sink for such chemicals derived from agricultural, industrial and domestic sources. The European otter (Lutra lutra) has shown substantial declines through much of its range over the past 30 years, which have been attributed to pollution by organochlorines. There are few published data on metals in tissues of European otters and these refer only to mercury. The present paper reports on burdens of mercury, cadmium and lead in tissues of a sample of British otters collected between 1982 and 1984.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, England
• OSTI ID: 6830885
• Journal Information: Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States), Journal Name: Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States) Vol. 37:6; ISSN BECTA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
BODY
CADMIUM
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISTRIBUTION
ELEMENTS
EUROPE
GLANDS
HAIR
KIDNEYS
LEAD
LIVER
MAMMALS
MERCURY
METALS
MUSCLES
ORGANS
POLLUTION
SKIN
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
UNITED KINGDOM
VERTEBRATES
WATER POLLUTION
WESTERN EUROPE