Total Mercury Bioaccumulation in Tissues of Carnivorous Fish (Micropogonias furnieri and Cynoscion acoupa) and Oysters (Crassostrea brasiliana) from Sepetiba Bay, Brazil

Abstract

Total mercury (Hg) levels were determined by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry (CVAAS) in tissues of two species of carnivorous fishes and in the soft tissue of oysters caught in Sepetiba Bay, Brazil. Hg was distributed unevenly in the organs and tissues of the fish; the mean Hg content was highest in the kidneys (0.048 μg/g wet weight) and lowest in the gills (0.004 μg/g w.w.). Mean Hg levels were higher in the oysters (0.052 μg/g w.w.) than in the fish (0.022 μg/g w.w). The total Hg concentration did not exceed the maximum concentration for food allowed by Brazilian legislation in any of the fish and oyster samples analyzed. Moreover, the Hg concentrations observed were all within the maximum level for fish recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO; 0.5 μg/g w.w.).

Keywords:

• total mercury
• fish
• oysters
• Sepetiba Bay
• bioaccumulation

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for financial support from the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).