Gamberg Mary, Boila Gail, Stern Gary, Roach Patrick
Gamberg Consulting, Box 10460, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada Y1A 7A1.
Sci Total Environ. 2005 Dec 1;351-352:523-9. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.07.035. Epub 2005 Aug 1.
Mercury (total and methyl), cadmium and selenium concentrations were measured in liver, kidney and brain tissue from mink trapped from the Yukon Territory from 2001-2002. None of these metals was found at levels of toxicological concern. Total mercury averaged 0.66, 0.92 and 0.22 microg g-1 in mink kidney, liver and brain tissue respectively, while methyl mercury averaged 0.77, 0.85 and 0.21 microg g-1 in the same tissues. Selenium averaged 2.07, 1.40 and 0.39 microg g-1 in mink kidney, liver and brain tissue, while cadmium was only measured in kidneys and averaged 0.22 microg g-1. All element concentrations are presented on a wet weight basis. Concentrations of total mercury in all tissues were significantly higher in female than male mink, possibly reflecting proportionally greater food consumption by the smaller females. Total mercury concentrations were inversely related to the proportion of mercury present as methylmercury, and positively related to concentrations of selenium, consistent with increasing demethylation of methylmercury, and the formation of mercuric selenide as total concentrations of mercury increased. This relationship was seen most strongly in mink liver, less so in kidneys and not at all in brains where most of the mercury was maintained in the methyl form. There did not appear to be any geographical areas in which mink had obviously higher concentrations of mercury, and there was frequently a relatively large range of mercury levels found in mink from a given trapline. Mink diet may be a factor in this variation. Local environmental levels of cadmium were not reflected in cadmium concentrations in mink tissues. Mercury, cadmium and selenium do not appear to constitute environmental hazards to mink in the Yukon.
对2001年至2002年从育空地区捕获的水貂的肝脏、肾脏和脑组织中的汞（总汞和甲基汞）、镉和硒浓度进行了测量。这些金属均未发现处于毒理学关注水平。水貂肾脏、肝脏和脑组织中的总汞平均分别为0.66、0.92和0.22微克/克，而相同组织中的甲基汞平均分别为0.77、0.85和0.21微克/克。水貂肾脏、肝脏和脑组织中的硒平均分别为2.07、1.40和0.39微克/克，而镉仅在肾脏中进行了测量，平均为0.22微克/克。所有元素浓度均以湿重为基础呈现。所有组织中总汞的浓度在雌性水貂中显著高于雄性水貂，这可能反映出体型较小的雌性水貂按比例消耗了更多食物。总汞浓度与甲基汞所占比例呈负相关，与硒浓度呈正相关，这与甲基汞脱甲基作用的增加以及随着汞总浓度增加硒化汞的形成相一致。这种关系在水貂肝脏中最为明显，在肾脏中次之，而在大脑中则完全没有体现，因为大脑中的大部分汞以甲基形式存在。似乎没有任何地理区域的水貂汞浓度明显更高，并且在给定的捕猎线上经常发现水貂的汞含量范围相对较大。水貂的饮食可能是造成这种差异的一个因素。水貂组织中的镉浓度并未反映当地环境中的镉水平。汞、镉和硒似乎并未对育空地区的水貂构成环境危害。
