Contamination level of mercury in red meat products from cetaceans available from South Korea markets.
Levels of total mercury (T-Hg) were surveyed in red meat (n=73) and liver (n=3) from toothed whales, dolphins and porpoises (odontocetes) sold for human consumption in the coastal cities of South Korea. High concentrations of T-Hg were found in the liver products of finless porpoises (18.7 and 156 microg/wet g) and common dolphins (13.2 microg/wet g). The T-Hg concentrations in red meat products were highest in the false killer whale (9.66+/-12.3 microg/wet g, n=9), bottlenose dolphin (10.6+/-12.6 microg/wet g, n=3) and killer whale (13.3 microg/wet g, n=1), and lowest in Cuvier's beaked whale and the harbour porpoise (0.4-0.5 microg/wet g). Thus, most of the products that originated from odontocetes exceeded the safety limit of 0.5 microg/wet g for T-Hg set by the South Korean health authorities for the fishery industry. Pregnant women and other vulnerable sectors of the population living in South Korea should therefore limit their consumption of odontocete products.
Endo
Tetsuya
T
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, 1757 Ishikari-Tobetsu, Hokkaido 061-0293, Japan. endotty@hoku-iryo-u.ac.jp
Yong-Un
Ma
M
Baker
C Scott
CS
Funahashi
Naoko
N
Lavery
Shane
S
Dalebout
Merel L
ML
Lukoschek
Vimoksalehi
V
Haraguchi
Koichi
K
D000818:Animals; D002591:Cetacea / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination; D007723:Korea; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D017747:Seafood
D008628:Mercury