Hg and Se in Organs of Three Cetacean Species from the Murcia Coastline (Mediterranean Sea)

• Published in: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology Vol. 103; no. 4; pp. 521 - 527
• Main Authors: Martínez-López, E., Peñalver, J., Lara, L., García-Fernández, A. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Aquatic mammals; Aquatic Pollution; Biochemical markers; biomarkers; Bottle-Nosed Dolphin - metabolism; brain; Cetacea; Coasts; Common Dolphins - metabolism; Delphinus delphis; Dolphins; Dolphins & porpoises; Dolphins - metabolism; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Grampus griseus; Kidney - chemistry; Kidneys; Liver; Liver - chemistry; Lungs; Mediterranean Sea; mercury; Mercury - analysis; Muscles; Organ Specificity; Organs; Pollution; protective effect; risk; Risk assessment; Selenium; Selenium - analysis; Soil Science & Conservation; Spain; Stranding; Toxicity; Tursiops truncatus; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Mediterranean Sea; Spain; Selenium; Cetacean; Mercury; Mediterranean Sea
• ISSN: 0007-4861; 1432-0800; 1432-0800
• DOI: 10.1007/s00128-019-02697-9

We determinated Hg and Se concentrations in liver, kidney, brain, lung and muscle of five bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ), four common dolphins ( Delphinus delphis ) and four Risso’s dolphin ( Grampus griseus ) stranded along the Murcia coast, Southeast Spain, in order to evaluate the risk of Hg toxicity. Hg concentrations showed similar concentrations to other individuals in the Mediterranean Sea with the same length in the same period. We observed a positive correlation of Hg and Se in liver (r = 0.948, p  < 0.001) and kidney (r = 0.939; p  = 0.001) and ratio the Se/Hg molar was higher than 1 in most cases. Our results suggest that the protective effects of Se against Hg toxicity occur in cetaceans. However, we detected levels of Hg described as responsible liver damage and neurotoxicological effects so other tools, as biochemical markers, should be included. Besides, more studies are needed to evaluate the risk of Hg exposure in dolphins from Murcia coastline.