title: Metal levels in fish from the Savannah River: potential hazards to fish and other receptors.
abstract: Fish are ideal indicators of heavy metal contamination in aquatic systems because they occupy different trophic levels and are different sizes and ages. In this paper, we report concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, manganese, strontium(88) and mercury in the muscle of 11 species of fish from the Savannah River near the Savannah River Site. We test the hypotheses that there are no locational, species, or trophic-level differences in contaminant levels. There were significant species differences for all metals; higher-trophic-level fish generally had higher levels of arsenic, chromium, and copper. There were relatively few locational differences, and where there were such differences, they were small. The relationships between body weight and contaminant levels were generally positive, except for strontium, where there was a negative correlation for bowfin (Amia cal va), bass (Micropterus salmoides), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), and shellcracker (Lepomis microlophus) and no relationship for the other species. The levels of most metals were similar to, or lower than, those for the United States generally, and the levels of metals in fish from the Savannah River do not appear to pose a health threat to the fish themselves or to higher-order consumers, based on levels known to cause effects.
authors.affiliation: Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-8082, USA.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burger
authors.forename: Karen F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Gaines
authors.forename: C Shane
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Boring
authors.forename: Warren L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Stephens
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Snodgrass
authors.forename: Carline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gochfeld
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D005399:Fishes; D020387:Food Chain; D005845:Georgia; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013324:Strontium / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014873:Water Pollutants; D013324:Strontium