Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, 29801, USA.
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2022 Jul;83(1):13-20. doi: 10.1007/s00244-022-00938-3. Epub 2022 Jun 14.
Total mercury (THg) concentrations were measured in wild alligators inhabiting a coastal marsh in southern Louisiana, to determine the tissue distribution of THg among various body organs and tissue compartments. Concentrations of THg in claws and dermal tail scutes were compared to those in blood, brain, gonad, heart, kidney, liver, and skeletal muscle to determine if the former tissues, commonly available by non-lethal sampling, could be used as measures of body burdens in various internal organs. Mercury was found in all body organs and tissue compartments. However, overall, THg concentrations measured in alligators were below the FDA action level for fish consumption and were comparable to previous data reported from southwestern Louisiana. Our results suggest consumption of meat from alligators found in this region may be of little public health concern. However, the extended period of time between sampling (in this study) and the present-day highlight the need for continuous, additional, and more recent sampling to ensure consumer safety. Total mercury concentrations were highest in the kidney (3.18 ± 0.69 mg/kg dw) and liver (3.12 ± 0.76 mg/kg dw). THg levels in non-lethal samples (blood, claws, and dermal tail scutes) were positively correlated with all tissue THg concentrations (blood: R = 0.513-0.988; claw: R = 0.347-0.637, scutes: R = 0.333-0.649). Because THg concentrations from blood, claws, and scutes were correlated with those of the internal organs, non-lethal sampling methods may be a viable method of estimating levels of THg in other body tissues.
总汞 (THg) 浓度在路易斯安那州南部沿海湿地栖息的野生短吻鳄中进行了测量，以确定 THg 在各种身体器官和组织隔室中的组织分布。将爪和真皮尾鳞中的 THg 浓度与血液、大脑、性腺、心脏、肾脏、肝脏和骨骼肌中的浓度进行了比较，以确定这些常见的非致死性采样组织是否可用于测量各种内部器官的体内负荷。研究发现，汞存在于所有身体器官和组织隔室中。然而，总体而言，短吻鳄体内测量的 THg 浓度低于 FDA 对鱼类消费的行动水平，与来自路易斯安那州西南部的先前数据相当。我们的研究结果表明，来自该地区的短吻鳄肉的消费可能对公众健康影响不大。然而，采样（在本研究中）与现在之间的时间间隔较长，突出了需要进行持续、额外和更近期的采样，以确保消费者的安全。总汞浓度在肾脏（3.18±0.69 mg/kg dw）和肝脏（3.12±0.76 mg/kg dw）中最高。非致死性样本（血液、爪子和真皮尾鳞）中的 THg 水平与所有组织中的 THg 浓度呈正相关（血液：R=0.513-0.988；爪子：R=0.347-0.637，鳞甲：R=0.333-0.649）。由于血液、爪子和鳞甲中的 THg 浓度与内部器官中的 THg 浓度相关，因此非致死性采样方法可能是估计其他身体组织中 THg 水平的可行方法。
