Toxic, essential and non-essential metals in harbour porpoises of the Polish Baltic Sea

Abstract

Concentrations of Hg, Cd, Pb, Ag, Zn, Cu and Mn in liver, kidney, muscle, lung, heart and diaphragm of harbour porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ) from the Polish Baltic Sea were determined. Distinct inter-tissue differentiation in metal concentrations was noted; liver showed maximum concentrations of Ag, Cu and Mn; kidney had the greatest concentrations of Cd and Pb while diaphragm contained most Zn. Muscle was generally characterized by small concentrations of all the metals analyzed. The concentrations of Zn, Cu, Hg and Cd in the liver, kidney and muscle found in our study are generally comparable with those reported for individuals of the same species inhabiting other geographical regions such as British, German and Danish waters. An order of magnitude smaller levels of hepatic and renal Cd in these mammals inhabiting NW European area compared to the West Greenland population were found while the Hg levels were about the same. This suggests low rates of Cd exposure, through an alimentary route, for harbour porpoise from the temperate marine areas.