title: Toxic element concentrations in the bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus), striped (Stenella coeruleoalba) and Risso's (Grampus griseus) dolphins stranded in eastern Adriatic Sea.
abstract: Concentrations of cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) were measured in muscle, liver and kidney of three cetacean species, the bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus), striped (Stenella coeruleoalba) and Risso's (Grampus griseus) dolphins from the Croatian waters of the Adriatic Sea. In all three dolphin species Cd levels decreased in tissues in the order: kidney > liver > muscle, while As and Pb decreased in the order: liver > kidney > muscle for striped and Risso's dolphins, but with the order reversed for liver and kidney in the bottlenose dolphin for Pb. Levels of Hg consistently followed the order: liver > muscle > kidney, with mean concentrations in the liver being 11-34 times higher than in the other tissues. The highest mean concentrations of trace elements were measured in Risso's dolphins at 14.9 μg/g wet weight, for Cd in the kidney, and concentrations in the liver of 2.41, 1,115 and 0.63 μg/g for As, Hg and Pb, respectively. Statistically significant differences between the three dolphin species were determined for Cd, Hg and Pb in liver tissues, for As in muscle and for Cd in kidney. Significant correlations of metals between tissues were determined in all three species. The results presented give an indication of the environmental condition with regard to the content of toxic metals along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea.
authors: Laboratory for Residue Control, Department of Veterinary Public Health, Croatian Veterinary Institute, Savska cesta 143, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia. bilandzic@veinst.hr
authors: Nina
authors: N
authors: Bilandžić
authors: Marija
authors: M
authors: Sedak
authors: Maja
authors: M
authors: Ðokić
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Ðuras Gomerčić
authors: Tomislav
authors: T
authors: Gomerčić
authors: Manuela
authors: M
authors: Zadravec
authors: Miroslav
authors: M
authors: Benić
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Prevendar Crnić
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004289:Dolphins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical