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. 2017 Apr;176(2):384-390.
doi: 10.1007/s12011-016-0845-6. Epub 2016 Sep 21.

The Presence of Mercury in the Tissues of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos L.) from Włocławek Reservoir in Poland

Jerzy F Żarski  1 , Michał Skibniewski  2 , Ewa Skibniewska  1 , Tadeusz P Żarski  1   3 , Teresa Majdecka  1
Affiliations

The Presence of Mercury in the Tissues of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos L.) from Włocławek Reservoir in Poland

Jerzy F Żarski et al. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2017 Apr.

Abstract

The study aimed at determining the degree of mercury contamination of mallards, game waterbirds migrating from the regions of the unknown degree of contamination and establishing whether the consumption of their meat comprises a hazard to human health in view of the binding norms concerning the mercury content in food products. The investigations were carried out on 30 mallards shot during the duck shooting season in which mercury concentrations in the muscles, liver, and kidneys were determined using the cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) method. The mean Hg concentration in the investigated tissues in all birds studied amounted to 0.110, 0.154, and 0.122 mg kg-1 for the muscles, kidneys, and liver, respectively. The study indicated statistically significant (p ≤ 0.01) positive correlation between all of the organs examined. Animals were divided into two groups differing in both absolute values of Hg concentrations and those measured in individual tissues. In particular organs of birds representing the first group, the presence of highly significant correlation (p ≤ 0.01) was observed in all organs examined. In the second group, highly significant positive correlation between Hg concentrations in the liver and kidneys and highly significant negative dependence between the liver and muscles was noted. The examinations revealed that some birds must have come from regions of a high degree of mercury contamination.

Keywords: Kidneys; Liver; Mallard; Mercury; Muscles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Sampling area in Poland, 67-road on a dam in Włocławek
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Sum of mercury concentrations in the liver, kidneys, and muscles of particular birds in the investigated population of mallards (where points 1–30 are the sum of values of mercury concentration in the liver, kidneys, and muscles in milligram per kilogram in particular investigated mallards)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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