Levels of total mercury in predatory fish sold in Canada in 2005

Figures & data

Table 1. Quality control results for each analytical batch.

Series no.	Blank average, ng ml^−1	Blank S.D., ng ml^−1	Solution detection limit	Blank spike recovery, %	Sample recovery, %	NIST Oyster SRM, µg g^−1	NRCC Dolt-2 SRM, µg g^−1	NRCC Dorm-2 SRM, µg g^−1	X-check standard, 1 ng ml^−1	X-check standard, 2 ng ml^−1
1	0.046	0.003	0.010	95	108	0.066	^a		0.98	2.67
2	0.040	0.001	0.002	87	105	0.072	1.93	4.84	0.92	2.37
3	0.028	0.012	0.037	100	86	0.068	2.08	4.44	0.95	2.42
4	0.129	0.023	0.070	100	80	0.054	2.08	4.77	0.89	2.48
5	0.133	0.004	0.013	92	88	0.043	2.03	4.57	1.00	2.43
6	0.072	0.000	0.000	97	85	0.054	2.05	4.62	0.98	2.37
7	0.072	0.010	0.030	93	88	0.052	2.23	3.24	1.02	2.32
8	0.073	0.003	0.010	106	155	0.052	1.95	4.53	0.95	2.49
9	−0.019	0.035	0.104	103	91	0.095	2.55	5.15	1.05
10	−0.035	0.067	0.202	104	94	0.117	2.29	4.76	0.97
11	−0.009	0.007	0.020	101	102	0.076	2.60	5.19	0.97
Average	0.048	0.015	0.045	98	98	0.068	2.18	4.61	0.97	2.44
Certified (SRMs)						0.064 ± 0.007	1.99 ± 0.10	4.64 ± 0.26
Note: ^aBlank spaces denote that the particular test was not included in the batch.

Table 2. Summary of total Hg levels in predatory fish.

Type of fish	Mean	Median	Minimum	Maximum	n	n > 1 ppm (%)	n > 0.5 ppm (%)
Arctic char	37	37	28	54	10
Black cod (sablefish)	284	246	71	651	8		1 (13%)
Fresh water trout	56	41	22	430	31
Grouper	360	344	8	1060	21	1 (5%)	5 (24%)
King fish	483	394	42	1614	15	1 (7%)	6 (40%)
Marlin^a	854	768	125	2346	18	5 (28%)	14 (78%)
Red snapper	147	109	36	431	30
Sea bass	329	282	38	1367	30	1 (3%)	6 (20%)
Tilefish	649	689	79	1164	8	2 (25%)	4 (50%)
Orange roughy^a	543	505	279	974	18		9 (50%)
Note: ^aDesignated fish subject to a 1000 ng g^−1 regulatory limit, others to a limit of 500 ng g^−1.

Table 3. Comparison of Hg levels (ng g⁻¹) found in this study with those found previously in Canada and other countries.

Type of fish	This Study	Canada, 2002^a	Canada, 2010^b	USA^c	Britain^d	Japan^e	Taiwan^f
Arctic char	37	27	56
Black cod	284		362	95		40
Fresh water trout	55	43	39^g	72	60
Grouper	360		244	465			90
King fish	440		175	730
Marlin	854	1429	781	485	1340
Red snapper	148		310	189
Sea bass	329		404	219, 386^h	65	200
Tilefish	601		1069^b	144, 1450^i
Orange roughy	543		482	554	595
Notes: ^aDabeka et al. (2004).
^bCanadian Food Inspection Agency (2010). Average of three tilefish - two samples purchased in 2008 containing 128 and 3000 ng g^−1, and one purchased in 2005 contained 80 ng g^−1.
^cFDA (2009); Environmental Protection Agency (2000); National Marine Fisheries Service (1978). The primary reference for the Gulf tilefish and sablefish data in the FDA report is a National Marine Fisheries Service report (Hall et al. 1978), while that for the kingfish or king mackerel is an EPA report (Ache et al. 2000).
^dKnowles et al. (2003).
^eNakagawa et al. (1997).
^fChen and Chen (2006).
^gRainbow trout.
^h219 ng g^−1 in black bass, and 386 ng g^−1 in Chilean bass.
^i144 ng g^−1 in Atlantic tilefish and 1450 ng g^−1 in those caught in the Gulf of Mexico (FDA 2009).

Dabeka , RW , McKenzie , AD , Forsyth , DS and Conacher , HBS . 2004 . Survey of total mercury in some edible fish and shellfish species collected in Canada in 2002 . Food Addit Contam A , 21 : 434 – 440 .

 PubMedGoogle Scholar

Canadian Food Inspection Agency. 2010. Cumulative total mercury results for sampling period June 4, 1999 to March 31, 2009. Unpublished data

 Google Scholar

FDA. 2009. Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish. US Department of Health and Human Services and US Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration. May 2001; Updated February 2006. Available from: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html

 Google Scholar

Hall RA, Zook EG, Meaburn GM. 1978. National Marine Fisheries Service survey of trace elements in the fishery resources. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service in Rockville, MD. NOAA Technical Report NMFS SSRM-721

 Google Scholar

Ache BW, Boyle JD, Morse CE. 2000. A survey of the occurrence of mercury in the fishery resources of the Gulf of Mexico. EPA Gulf of Mexico Program Final Report. Prepared by Battelle for the US EPA Gulf of Mexico Program, Stennis Space Center, MS

 Google Scholar

Knowles , TG , Farrington , D and Kestin , SC . 2003 . Mercury in UK imported fish and shellfish and UK-farmed fish and their products . Food Addit Contam A , 20 : 813 – 818 .

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Nakagawa , R , Yumita , Y and Hiromoto , M . 1997 . Total mercury intake from fish and shellfish by Japanese people . Chemosphere , 35 : 2909 – 2913 .

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Chen , YC and Chen , MH . 2006 . Mercury levels of seafood commonly consumed in Taiwan . J Food Drug Anal , 14 : 373 – 378 .

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar