Magnitude of Mercury Levels in Fish Muscle Tissue from South Carolina Waters

Abstract

Abstract Many of the world’s great gastronomic materpieces are based on fish from both freshwater and saltwater. The danger for human health, due to fish consumption, has been very well recognized. A survey of mercury residues in freshwater fish was undertaken to see if the problem of the magnitude of mercury contamination was evident in the South Carolina Fishery. These investigations were initiated to determine mercury levels in fish from a variety of South Carolina Waters. Samples of fish from freshwater sources all over the state of South Carolina were collected during 1974 and 1975. The species composition of the collections generally reflects the fish populations of the water sampled. Mercury determinations were made on 100 samples of fish taken from 22 locations covering 46 South Carolina counties. Triplicate samples of fish tissues were analyzed using flameless atomic absorption procedures. Findings of this report are that magnitude of mercury levels of fish from Lake Jocassee and Edisto River have been found to be higher than other waterways surveyed. Mercury levels exceeding the U. S. Food and Drug Administration guideline of 0.5 ppm have been found in Brown Trout, Pike and Mudfish. Different patterns of mercury concentration occurred between different tissues. Larger fish contain higher concentration of mercury than do smaller fish of the same species.