Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, Campus of Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
Chemosphere. 2010 Jan;78(3):256-64. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2009.10.062. Epub 2009 Dec 2.
Sea turtles are of increasing interest as potential bioindicators of the heavy metal pollution in marine ecosystems. In the present work, concentrations of heavy metals and essential elements (As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Se, Zn) in different organs and tissues (liver, kidney, muscle, bone, blood, central nervous system and skin) of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) were determined from stranded animals found along the Spanish Mediterranean coastlines of Murcia. Relatively high average levels of As (skin: 52.13 microg g(-1) dry weight; muscle: 40.95 microg g(-1) dry weight), and especially high individual levels of Zn in muscle tissue (1002.4 microg g(-1) dry weight) were detected. Furthermore, a significant degree of organotrophism of Cd was observed in kidney tissue. The concentrations detected, the distribution among the tissues and the differences observed between juvenile and adult specimens are generally compatible with chronic exposure to the elements studied, whilst levels produced by acute exposure were ruled out.
海龟作为海洋生态系统重金属污染的潜在生物指标，越来越受到关注。本研究对在西班牙地中海穆尔西亚沿岸搁浅的海龟（Caretta caretta）的不同器官和组织（肝脏、肾脏、肌肉、骨骼、血液、中枢神经系统和皮肤）中的重金属和必需元素（As、Cd、Hg、Pb、Se、Zn）浓度进行了测定。结果表明，皮肤中的 As 含量较高（52.13μg/g 干重），肌肉中的 As 含量较高（40.95μg/g 干重），肌肉组织中的 Zn 含量尤其高（1002.4μg/g 干重）。此外，在肾脏组织中观察到 Cd 的明显器官亲和性。所检测到的浓度、在组织中的分布以及在幼年和成年标本之间观察到的差异，通常与研究元素的慢性暴露相容，而排除了急性暴露产生的水平。
