Abstract

MARRUGO, José; LANS, Edineldo  and  BENITEZ, Luis. FINDING OF MERCURY IN FISH FROM THE AYAPEL MARSH, CORDOBA, COLOMBIA. Rev.MVZ Cordoba [online]. 2007, vol.12, n.1, pp.878-886. ISSN 0122-0268.

Objetive. To establish total mercury (Hg-T) concentrations in some fishes species in the Ayapel marsh (Colombia). Materials and methods. Sampling was conducted from July 2004 to June 2005, including both the dry and rainy seasons. Hg-T was analized by cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy after acid digestion. Results. The highest concentrations in Hg-T were observed for analized samples of the carnivorous specie Ageneiosus caucanus (0.504±0.103 mg Hg kg-1 fresh weight), and the lowest concentrations in the Iliophagus specie Prochilodus magdalenae (0.130±0.056 mg Hg kg-1 fresh wt). The highest Hg-T concentrations were found in the samples of the dry season. The Hg-T mean levels for fish samples did not exceed the human limit consumption level according to the World Health Organization (WHO, 0.5 mg Hg kg-1 fresh weight). Conclusions. The risk assessment based on the hazard index suggested that the consumption of 0.12 kg per day of fish (mainly carnivorous) could increase the risk of mercury poisoning in the local population.

Keywords : Mercury; fish; Ayapel; Colombia; Public Health.

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