title: [Correlation of mercury, selenium and other elements in the tissues of fishes from the regions at different mercury exposure level].
abstract: The contents of selenium and other elements in fish liver and muscle tissues collected from mercury polluted area of Wanshan, Guizhou province of China and non-known mercury polluted one of Beijing were determined with instrumental neutron activation analysis, and that of mercury was determined with atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The correlation among the determined elements, especially between mercury and selenium, in the fish tissues were studied. For most of the elements significant difference of elemental content was found between tissues of liver and muscle, and mostly the content in liver was higher than that in muscle. It was interesting to note that the average content of mercury in Guizhou fish liver was 25-fold higher than that in Beijing one, and 5-fold higher in Guizhou fish muscle than that in Beijing one. For most of the elements no significant difference on the average content was found between the same tissues of the two areas. The molar ratio of Hg/Se increased with the increasing of Hg content at the low Hg level, but the alteration trend became gently and reached to a higher constant value (about 0.2) at the higher Hg level. Only the element of bromine and rubidium was found to have strong linear correlation between the two different tissues of liver and muscle. Though certain correlation existed among the different elements of fish tissues from the two areas, the most significant and the closest one existed between the mercury and selenium of muscle tissue of Guizhou fishes. A closer correlation was also found between them of liver tissue of Guizhou fishes. As for Beijing fish tissues, the correlation of mercury and selenium only existed in liver but no correlation of them was found in muscle. Our results confirm the fact that a certain interaction exists between mercury and selenium in organisms including fish, and it is more evident as the mercury-exposed level is higher. Some significant correlation was also observed between other elements, such as potassium and sodium, cesium and rubidium, iron and zinc, in fish tissues and it could be well explained by their similar chemical and physical properties or their different biological functions.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Nuclear Analytical Techniques, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Pei-qun
authors.initials: PQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chun-ying
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jiu-jiang
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Bai
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li-ya
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Zhi-fang
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Chai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001965:Bromides / Q000032:analysis; D002681:China; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D009132:Muscles / Q000737:chemistry; D012413:Rubidium / Q000032:analysis; D012643:Selenium / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D001965:Bromides; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008628:Mercury; D012643:Selenium; D012413:Rubidium