title: Mercury and selenium in marine mammals and birds.
abstract: Information is provided concerning the concentrations of mercury and selenium in tissues of marine animals. In marine mammals a 1:1 Hg/Se molecular increment ratio was found and an almost perfect linear correlation between mercury and selenium. It is suggested that marine mammals are able to detoxify methylmercury by a specific chemical mechanism in which selenium is involved. The results also indicate that the fate of methylmercury in fish-eating marine birds differs fundamentally from that in marine mammals.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis; D001717:Birds / Q000378:metabolism*; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002104:Cadmium / Q000032:analysis; D010872:Caniformia / Q000378:metabolism*; D002591:Cetacea / Q000378:metabolism*; D004289:Dolphins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005399:Fishes; D005502:Food; D005843:Geography; D007668:Kidney / Q000032:analysis; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis; D008099:Liver / Q000032:analysis; D008628:Mercury / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D009501:Neutron Activation Analysis; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000378:metabolism*; D012643:Selenium / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000032:analysis; D014907:Whales / Q000378:metabolism*; D015032:Zinc / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D002104:Cadmium; D007854:Lead; D008628:Mercury; D012643:Selenium; D015032:Zinc; D001151:Arsenic