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Relationship between Mercury Concentrations in the Blood with that in the Muscle of Four Estuarine Tropical Fish Species, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

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Abstract

The aim of this work was to assess the relationship between mercury concentrations in the blood with that in muscle for non-invasive mercury contamination assessment in fish. At Ribeira Bay were collected 198 fishes of 4 species (Genidens genidens, Arius luniscutis, Haemulon steindachneri, Micropogonias furnieri). At Guanabara Bay were collected 84 fishes of 2 species (Genidens genidens, Micropogonias furnieri). Means of mercury concentrations in fish muscles in both areas were below 500 ng/g. The mean ratio, including all specimens of all species, for mercury in muscle-to-whole blood was 13.4:1, for muscle-to-erythrocytes, 6.5:1 and for erythrocytes-to-plasma, 6.5:1. Further studies are necessary to insure that blood could be used as an exposure biomarker, in order to assess mercury availability in aquatic ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for financial support; D.Sc. José Vanderli Andreata and the Laboratory of Fish Ecology from Santa Úrsula University for fish species identification and sampling; and, all people involved with this work direct or indirectly, making it possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geochemistry, Fluminense Federal University, Outeiro São João Batista, s/n, 24020-150, Niterói, RJ, Brazil

    Ana Paula de Castro Rodrigues & Edison Dausacker Bidone

  2. Centre for Mineral Technology, Av. Pedro Calmon, 900, 21941-908, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Zuleica Carmen Castilhos

  3. School of Veterinary, Fluminense Federal University, R. Vital Brazil Filho, 64, Vital Brazil, Niterói, RJ, Brazil

    Patrícia Oliveira Maciel, Luiz César Cavalcanti Pereira da Silva & Nádia Regina Pereira Almosny

  4. Laboratory of Fish Ecology, Santa Úrsula University, R. Fernando Ferrari, 75, Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    José Vanderli Andreata

Authors
  1. Ana Paula de Castro Rodrigues
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  2. Patrícia Oliveira Maciel
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  3. Luiz César Cavalcanti Pereira da Silva
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  4. Nádia Regina Pereira Almosny
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  5. José Vanderli Andreata
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  6. Edison Dausacker Bidone
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  7. Zuleica Carmen Castilhos
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Correspondence to Ana Paula de Castro Rodrigues.

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de Castro Rodrigues, A.P., Maciel, P.O., da Silva, L.C.C.P. et al. Relationship between Mercury Concentrations in the Blood with that in the Muscle of Four Estuarine Tropical Fish Species, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 86, 357–362 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-011-0228-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-011-0228-9

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