title: Mercury (Hg) and methyl mercury (MeHg) concentrations in fish from the coastal lagoon of Orbetello, central Italy.
abstract: Total mercury (Hg tot) and methyl mercury (MeHg) were quantified in several specimens of Dicentrarchus labrax and Sparus aurata from the east basin of the Orbetello lagoon, central Italy. The size of each specimen was recorded to estimate body burdens (BBs); =Hg tot and MeHg were measured in fillets of both species. Hg tot and MeHg in S. aurata ranged between 0.355-1.58 and 0.341-1.53 μg/g wet weight (ww), respectively; in D. labrax, their ranges were 0.284-2.54 and 0.214-2.35 μg/g ww. Approximately 90% of the concentrations measured exceeded Hg tot regulatory maximum level of 0.5 μg/g ww; however, exceedance rate was different in the two species studied. No correlations between specimen size and Hg tot or MeHg BBs were detected in this study.
authors.affiliation: Chemical Toxicology Unit, Department of the Environment and Primary Intervention, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: roberto.miniero@iss.it.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miniero
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beccaloni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carere
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ubaldi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marchegiani
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Cicero
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scenati
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lucchetti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ziemacki
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Felip
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007558:Italy; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Mercury; Methyl mercury; Orbetello lagoon; Seabass; Seabream