Mercury Exposure in Birds Linked to Marine Ecosystems in the Western Mediterranean

Albertos, Silvia; Berenguer, Neus I.; Sánchez‐Virosta, Pablo; Gómez‐Ramírez, Pilar; Jiménez-Montalbán, P; Torres-Chaparro, María Y.; Valverde, Irene; Navas, Isabel; María-Mójica, Pedro; García-Fernández, Antonio J.; Espín, Silvia

doi:10.1007/s00244-020-00768-1

Cited by 14 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…The same conclusions were reached by Saeki et al (2000), Mazloomi et al (2008), Misztal-Szkudlinska et al (2011), Kral et al (2017) and Misztal-Szkudlinska et al (2018). On the other hand, Nam et al (2005), Houserova et al (2005), Houserova et al (2007), Hribsek et al (2017) and Albertos et al (2020) order the tissues according to their decreasing total mercury content in different succession: liver > kidney > muscle. In all the cases, the muscle is found to contain significantly lower concentrations of mercury than the liver and/ or kidneys.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

“…The values found in this study for the Nysa Kłodzka River for the liver and kidneys (Table 1) are similar to Kitowski et al (2015) in Poland and to Kral et al (2017) in the Czech Republic (Table 2). When compared with the mercury burden found in cormorants from other European localities, the results are lower than those found by Houserova et al (2005) and Houserova et al (2007) in the Czech Republic, Misztal-Szkudlinska et al (2011) and Misztal-Szkudlinska et al (2018) in Poland, Albertos et al (2020) in Spain and Hribsek et al (2017) for the Danube River area in Serbia. Our results were, on the contrary, higher than those found by Lehel et al (2013) and Lehel et al (2022) in Hungary (Table 2).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 60%

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Mercury distribution in the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) from the Krogulna ponds and Nysa Kłodzka River (Poland)

Kružíková¹,

Široká²,

Kral³

et al. 2023

Vet. Med.

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Mercury belongs among the highly hazardous substances present in the environment and represents a great health risk for many animals including predatory and piscivorous birds. The aim of this study was to assess the total mercury content in the main detoxifying organs (liver and kidney) and in the muscles of adult great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) caught at two localities (the Krogulna ponds and the Nysa Kłodzka River) in southern Poland. The aim was to compare the locality with the iron ore mining history (the Krogulna ponds) with a site without such load (the Nysa Kłodzka River). The total mercury content in the great cormorants decreases as follows: kidneys > liver > muscle in both monitored localities and significantly differs between the localities. The average mercury content varied from 0.58 ± 0.38 mg/kg (muscle) to 1.39 ± 1.42 mg/kg (kidney) in the cormorant from the Krogulna ponds and from 1.09 ± 0.40 mg/kg (muscle) to 3.12 ± 1.55 mg/kg (kidney) in the cormorant from the Nysa Kłodzka River. The accumulation of mercury does not correlate with the mining history as it was higher at the Nysa Kłodzka River, but it is probably influenced by the different fish stocks in these two localities (omnivorous fish in the Krogulna ponds versus predatory fish in the Nysa Kłodzka River).

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 60%

Mercury distribution in the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) from the Krogulna ponds and Nysa Kłodzka River (Poland)

Kružíková¹,

Široká²,

Kral³

et al. 2023

Vet. Med.

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“…The GMA 2018 also stresses that Mediterranean (MED) populations tend to have higher Hg levels than people from Asia, North America, and Europe. Already, 50 years ago, high Hg levels were observed in MED fish and marine mammals, , and these findings have been confirmed several times. − It has recently been suggested that Hg accumulation rates in bluefin tuna are the highest in the individuals from the MED and that certain birds linked to the marine ecosystem could be at risk of suffering long-term, Hg-related effects . These observations suggest specific features and a particular vulnerability of this region and emphasize the need to reassess, there, the state of the art on Hg.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…19−21 It has recently been suggested that Hg accumulation rates in bluefin tuna are the highest in the individuals from the MED 22 and that certain birds linked to the marine ecosystem could be at risk of suffering long-term, Hg-related effects. 23 These observations suggest specific features and a particular vulnerability of this region and emphasize the need to reassess, there, the state of the art on Hg. The present Critical Review aims to summarize and update current knowledge on the biogeochemistry of Hg in the MED, including its main implications for human health, and to identify perspectives for future research activities in this field.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Mediterranean Mercury Assessment 2022: An Updated Budget, Health Consequences, and Research Perspectives

Cossa

Knœry

Bănaru

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Mercury (Hg) and especially its methylated species (MeHg) are toxic chemicals that contaminate humans via the consumption of seafood. The most recent UNEP Global Mercury Assessment stressed that Mediterranean populations have higher Hg levels than people elsewhere in Europe. The present critical review updates current knowledge on the sources, biogeochemical cycling, and mass balance of Hg in the Mediterranean, and identifies perspectives for future research especially in the context of global change. Concentrations of Hg in the Western Mediterranean average 0.86 ± 0.27 pmol L -1 in the upper water layer and 1.02 ± 0.12 pmol L -1 in intermediate and deep waters. In the Eastern Mediterranean, Hg measurements are in the same range but are too few to determine any consistent oceanographical pattern. The Mediterranean waters have a high methylation capacity, with MeHg representing up to 86 % of the total Hg, and constitute a source of MeHg for the adjacent North Atlantic Ocean. The highest MeHg concentrations are associated with low oxygen water masses suggesting a microbiological control on Hg methylation, consistent with the identification of hgcAlike genes in Mediterranean waters. MeHg concentrations are twice as high in the waters of the western basin compared to the ultra-oligotrophic eastern basin waters. This difference appears to be transferred through the food webs and the Hg content in predators to be ultimately controlled by MeHg concentrations of the waters of their foraging zones. Many Mediterranean top-predatory fish still exceed European Union 2 regulatory Hg thresholds. This underlines the necessity of monitoring the exposure of Mediterranean populations, to formulate adequate mitigation strategies and recommendations, without advising against seafood consumption. This review also points out other insufficiencies of knowledge of Hg cycling in the Mediterranean Sea, including temporal variations in air-sea exchange, hydrothermal and cold seep inputs, point sources, submarine groundwater discharge, and exchanges between margins and the open sea. Future assessment of global change impacts under the Minamata Convention Hg policy requires long-term observations and dedicated high-resolution Earth System Models for the Mediterranean region.atmosphere, surface, and deep marine waters have increased respectively by 450, 230, and 12-25 % above levels prevailing during the pre-Colombian period 11 , i.e., before ~1450 CE. This budget however presents large uncertainties, in particular, local differences are to be expected, due to specific geographical, geological, biological, and anthropogenic factors.The GMA 2018 1 also stresses that Mediterranean (MED) populations tend to have higher Hg levels than people from Asia, North America, and Europe. Already, 50 years ago, high Hg levels were observed in MED fish and marine mammals 17, 18 , and these findings have been confirmed several times 19, 20, 21 . It has been recently suggested that Hg accumulation rates in bluefin tuna are the highest in the individuals fro...

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“…Nonetheless, recent investigations on the distribution, biogeochemical cycle, and possible biological effects of Hg in the Mediterranean Sea (e.g., [12][13][14][15]) attest, overall, that Hg concentrations in several predatory fish still exceed European Union regulatory thresholds, and in coastal human populations, they are higher than in people living elsewhere in Europe or on other continents [16]. In western Mediterranean birds, such as the European shag, northern gannet, and great cormorant, Hg concentrations are still close to or higher than those that cause reproductive alterations in other bird species [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury Biogeochemistry and Biomagnification in the Mediterranean Sea: Current Knowledge and Future Prospects in the Context of Climate Change

Bargagli,

Rota

2024

Coasts

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In the 1970s, the discovery of much higher mercury (Hg) concentrations in Mediterranean fish than in related species of the same size from the Atlantic Ocean raised serious concerns about the possible health effects of neurotoxic monomethylmercury (MMHg) on end consumers. After 50 years, the cycling and fluxes of the different chemical forms of the metal between air, land, and marine environments are still not well defined. However, current knowledge indicates that the anomalous Hg accumulation in Mediterranean organisms is mainly due to the re-mineralization of organic material, which favors the activity of methylating microorganisms and increases MMHg concentrations in low-oxygen waters. The compound is efficiently bio-concentrated by very small phytoplankton cells, which develop in Mediterranean oligotrophic and phosphorous-limited waters and are then transferred to grazing zooplankton. The enhanced bioavailability of MMHg together with the slow growth of organisms and more complex and longer Mediterranean food webs could be responsible for its anomalous accumulation in tuna and other long-lived predatory species. The Mediterranean Sea is a “hotspot” of climate change and has a rich biodiversity, and the increasing temperature, salinity, acidification, and stratification of seawater will likely reduce primary production and change the composition of plankton communities. These changes will likely affect the accumulation of MMHg at lower trophic levels and the biomagnification of its concentrations along the food web; however, changes are difficult to predict. The increased evasion of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg°) from warming surface waters and lower primary productivity could decrease the Hg availability for biotic (and possibly abiotic) methylation processes, but lower oxygen concentrations in deep waters, more complex food webs, and the reduced growth of top predators could increase their MMHg content. Despite uncertainties, in Mediterranean regions historically affected by Hg inputs from anthropogenic and geogenic sources, such as those in the northwestern Mediterranean and the northern Adriatic Sea, rising seawater levels, river flooding, and storms will likely favor the mobilization of Hg and organic matter and will likely maintain high Hg bioaccumulation rates for a long time. Long-term studies will, therefore, be necessary to evaluate the impact of climate change on continental Hg inputs in the Mediterranean basin, on air–sea exchanges, on possible changes in the composition of biotic communities, and on MMHg formation and its biomagnification along food webs. In this context, to safeguard the health of heavy consumers of local seafood, it appears necessary to develop information campaigns, promote initiatives for the consumption of marine organisms at lower trophic levels, and organize large-scale surveys of Hg accumulation in the hair or urine of the most exposed population groups.

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Mercury Exposure in Birds Linked to Marine Ecosystems in the Western Mediterranean

Cited by 14 publications

References 81 publications

Mercury distribution in the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) from the Krogulna ponds and Nysa Kłodzka River (Poland)

Mercury distribution in the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) from the Krogulna ponds and Nysa Kłodzka River (Poland)

Mediterranean Mercury Assessment 2022: An Updated Budget, Health Consequences, and Research Perspectives

Mercury Biogeochemistry and Biomagnification in the Mediterranean Sea: Current Knowledge and Future Prospects in the Context of Climate Change

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