Trace elements intake in the Faroe Islands. I. Element levels in edible parts of pilot whales (Globicephalus meleanus)

Abstract

We examined the distribution of copper, zinc, selenium, arsenic, cadmium and mercury (total and methyl mercury) in samples of muscle, liver, kidney and blubber from pilot whales (Globicephalus meleanus) caught off the Faroe Islands in 1977 and 1978. The very high total mercury level in the mature pilot whale exhibited differences among tissues and was highest in the liver. The total mercury concentration increased with body size. With increasing body size the ratio of methyl mercury to total mercury was relatively constant in muscle and kidney, but it decreased in liver. The concentrations of total mercury in the tissues of immature whales were much lower than those of mature whales. Selenium levels increased with body size. Significant correlation coefficients were found between the total mercury and selenium in liver and kidney. Selenium was present in the kidney in molar excess relative to mercury, whereas the opposite was the case in the muscle tissue. High cadmium contents were found in kidney and liver. In muscle and liver no significant correlations were found between cadmium and selenium, but a weak correlation between these elements was recorded in the kidney.