Hepatic and nephric mercury and selenium concentrations in common mergansers, mergus merganser, from baltic region, Europe

Abstract

The subject of the present study was the piscivorous common mergansers (Mergus merganser). The total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), selenium (Se) inorganic mercury (InHg; THg - MeHg), percentage of THg that is MeHg (%MeHg), molar ratios (THg:Se, MeHg:Se, InHg:Se), and their mutual relations in livers and kidneys were determined in ducks from an Se-deficient area in Poland. The authors verified a hypothesis that, as a result of living in an Se-deficient region, mergansers from Poland should have higher THg:Se ratios than other waterbirds with similar THg tissue levels. Although a comparison of healthy mergansers from Poland and Canada showed similar THg tissue contents, the group in the present study had a few times lower Se levels and higher THg:Se ratios (overall means >1.7 in both livers and kidneys in all studied individuals) than the Canadian group and other European and North American waterbirds. The authors found significant correlations between various relations, including MeHg-THg, InHg-THg, Se-THg, %MeHg-THg, InHg/%THg-THg, %MeHg/THg-InHg, %InHg/THg-InHg, MeHg:Se-THg:Se, InHg:Se-THg:Se, InHg:Se-MeHg:Se in liver and InHg-THg, Se-THg, Se-InHg, %MeHg-THg, %MeHg-InHg, %InHg/THg-InHg, THg:Se-THg, InHg:Se-THg, MeHg:Se-MeHg, THg:Se-InHg, InHg:Se-InHg, and InHg:Se-THg:Se in kidney. It is likely that the main factor responsible for the high value of THG:Se ratio (>1) in mergansers from Poland is Se deficiency in central and northern Europe. Therefore, this element is unlikely to participate in the detoxification of Hg in these birds.

Concentrations of lead and other elements in the liver of the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), a European flagship species, wintering in Eastern Poland

“…Poland belongs to a group of countries for which Se deficiency in the environment has been reported (Nowakowska et al 2014 ; Kalisinska et al 2014b , c ). This study showed that higher hepatic Se levels were found in white-tailed eagles from Southeastern Poland (see Fig.…”

“…Two forms of Hg, inorganic Hg (InHg) and methylmercury Hg (MeHg), can inhibit the selenoenzyme glutathione peroxidase, which is crucial for antioxidant regulation (Branco et al 2012 ). Therefore, it is important to examine the total Hg (THg) concentration, as well as the ratio of THg to total Se; studies of bird livers have shown positive correlations between concentrations of the particular forms of Hg and total Hg (THg), as well as between the concentrations of Se and THg (Scheuhammer et al 2008 ; Kalisinska et al 2014b , c ). The molar ratios of THg to Se obtained in this study correspond to the data obtained for inland and wetland birds, as well as seabirds, for which the reported Hg:Se molar ratio ranged between 0.1 and 0.2 (Kim et al 1996 ; Petrie et al 2007 ; Conover and Vest 2009 ).…”

The Methods and Stands for Testing Fixed Sorbent and Sorbent Polymer Composite Materials for the Removal of Mercury from Flue Gases

“…Mercury is one of the highly toxic heavy metals in the Earth's crust. It easily transfers its states and origins through anthrophonic, microorganic, and natural activities [1]. The anthropogenic sources of mercury emissions are artisanal and small-scale gold mining (about 38%) followed by stationary combustion of coal (about 21%).…”