Abstract
In this paper, the presence and amount of mercury and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) were determined in 23 bluefin tuna samples collected in the spring of 2012 in Porto Scuso (South West Sardinia, Italy) and Villa Putzu (South East Sardinia, Italy) in order to assess the current levels of these two contaminants in fish muscle and the consequent risk to humans consuming said fish. Values of polychlorobiphenyls in bluefin tuna muscle vary between 0.155 and 1.403 mg/kg f.w.; the average of PCBs in tuna muscle is 0.732 mg/kg f.w. With regard to PCBs the presence of more elevated concentrations is confirmed in larger fish. The results regarding mercury in muscle show an average of 0.660 mg/kg f.w. and mercury values vary between 0.140 f.w. and 2.211 mg/kg f.w.; for mercury as well, the highest concentrations were found in the largest bluefin tuna. Six samples, 26% of total, contained more than 1 mg/kg f.w., which is the maximum level set by the European Commission (EC, Regulation n. 1881/2006) for this species. Mercury, in particular methylmercury, poses a risk to public health, therefore, taking into account the important nutritional contribution that tuna fish makes to the diet, it is advisable that women of childbearing age, pregnant and breastfeeding women as well as young children strictly limit their consumption of tuna from this area of the Mediterranean.
Highlights
In the last few decades, the United Nations Environment Programme has estimated that 100,000 tons of polychlorobiphenyls and 60,000 tons of mercury are dumped into the Mediterranean basin each year
The presence and amount of mercury and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) were determined in 23 bluefin tuna samples collected in the spring of 2012 in Porto Scuso (South West Sardinia, Italy) and Villa Putzu (South East Sardinia, Italy) in order to assess the current levels of these two contaminants in fish muscle and the consequent risk to humans consuming said fish
This study evaluated the presence and amount of mercury and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in the muscle tissue of 23 Atlantic Bluefin tuna (ABFT) samples collected in the spring of 2012 off the Sardinian coasts (Italy), in order to assess the current levels of these two contaminants in fish muscle and the consequent risk to humans consuming said fish
Summary
In the last few decades, the United Nations Environment Programme has estimated that 100,000 tons of polychlorobiphenyls and 60,000 tons of mercury are dumped into the Mediterranean basin each year. The sea is a major oil transportation route, and up to one million tons of crude oil are discharged annually from accidental spills, illegal bunkering and tank cleaning practices, as well as inadequate harbour facilities. Pollution reaches the Mediterranean through its major river systems, the Po, the Ebro, the Nile, and the Rhone, which carry substantial amounts of agricultural and industrial wastes, and the fact that 70 percent of the wastewater dumped into the Mediterranean is untreated must be considered. Geochemical and anthropogenic anomalies in mercury levels attributed to mining and industrial facilities have been described in some areas of the Mediterranean region.
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