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Heavy metal (As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Cu, Zn, Se) concentrations in muscle and bone of four commercial fish caught in the central Adriatic Sea, Italy

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Abstract

Heavy metal (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, Hg and Se) concentrations in the muscle and bone of four fish species (Mullus barbatus, Merluccius merluccius, Micromesistius poutassou, and Scomber scombrus) from the central Adriatic Sea were measured and the relationships between fish size (length and weight) and metal concentrations in the tissues were investigated. Samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrophotometry with automatic dual viewing. In the muscle, results of linear regression analysis showed that, except for mercury, significant relationships between metal concentrations and fish size were negative. Only mercury levels were positively correlated with Atlantic mackerel size (p < 0.05). No significant variations of heavy metal concentrations were observed in muscles of the examined species, but a significant difference (p < 0.01) was found for As, Cd, Pb, and Se concentrations in bone. All the investigated metals showed higher values in the muscle than in bone, except for lead and zinc. Regarding cadmium, lead, and mercury maximum levels, set for the edible portion by European legislation, several samples exceeded these values, confirming the heavy metal presence in species caught near the Jabuka Pit.

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Acknowledgment

This work has been supported by Ministry of University and Scientific and Technological Research (M.U.R.S.T.) grants (MPI 40 % 2002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facoltà di Bioscienze e Tecnologie Agroalimentari e Ambientali, University of Teramo, Viale Crispi 212, 64100, Teramo, Italy

    Monia Perugini, Pierina Visciano, Maurizio Manera & Michele Amorena

  2. Department of Veterinary Public Health and Animal Pathology, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064, Ozzano Emilia, Bologna, Italy

    Annalisa Zaccaroni

  3. Executive Veterinary A.S.L. Pescara, 65100, Pescara, Italy

    Vincenzo Olivieri

Authors
  1. Monia Perugini
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  2. Pierina Visciano
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  3. Maurizio Manera
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  4. Annalisa Zaccaroni
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  5. Vincenzo Olivieri
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  6. Michele Amorena
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Correspondence to Monia Perugini.

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Perugini, M., Visciano, P., Manera, M. et al. Heavy metal (As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Cu, Zn, Se) concentrations in muscle and bone of four commercial fish caught in the central Adriatic Sea, Italy. Environ Monit Assess 186, 2205–2213 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3530-7

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