Total mercury (T-Hg) in ichthyofauna with the highest consumption in San Marcos - Sucre, Colombia

Abstract

Objective. Hg was quantified in the dorsal muscle of the 11 species of fish most consumed in San Marcos, located in the region of La Mojana. Materials and methods. Dorsal muscle samples were taken from the fish species. T-Hg concentrations were quantified using cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry (CVAAS). Results. The species with the highest T-Hg values were those with carnivorous eating habits: Pseudoplatystoma magdaleniatum (0.44 ± 0.09 μg/g), Plagioscion surinamensis (0.42 ± 0.14 μg/g) and Hoplias malabaricus (0.39 ± 0.11 μg/g). However, the maximum recommended amount of Hg in fish (0.5 μg/g) set by the European Union was not exceeded by any of the species studied. Conclusions. It is concluded that the commercial ichthyofauna of La Mojana is contaminated by Hg as a result of the mining activities that take place in the channels of the rivers that discharge in this region. The persistent consumption of fish from the evaluated areas by its inhabitants represents a high risk due to the high toxicity of Hg, which presents adverse effects on human health, even when it is consumed in low doses for prolonged periods of time.