Mercury Accumulation and Speciation in Muscle Tissue of Different Species of Sharks from Mediterranean Sea, Italy

Sharks as predators at the top of many food chains may represent sites for biological accumulation of pollutants and, therefore, may be considered good indicators of the extend of mercury contamination in the marine ecosystems (Vas, 1991). The objectives of this study are to provide data about total...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology 2002-02, Vol.68 (2), p.201-210
Main Authors: Storelli, M M, Giacominelli-Stuffler, R, Marcotrigiano, G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Marine
Mediterranean Sea
Selachii
Selachimorpha
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Sharks as predators at the top of many food chains may represent sites for biological accumulation of pollutants and, therefore, may be considered good indicators of the extend of mercury contamination in the marine ecosystems (Vas, 1991). The objectives of this study are to provide data about total and organic mercury concentrations in the muscle of different species of sharks from various areas of the Mediterranean Sea, to examine the relationship between specimen weight and mercury and methylmercury concentrations, and, finally, to compare Hg concentrations in sharks of the same species but from different areas of the Mediterranean Sea, in order to provide information about the severity of mercury pollution in these regions.
ISSN:0007-4861
DOI:10.1007/s00128-001-0239-z