Toxic metals in fishes, mussels, and sediments from the Puck Bay in the southern Baltic Sea.

Background: The environment of the Puck Bay is under strong pressure discharged sewage and brine.

Methods: Toxic metals (cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic, bromine) were determined in fishes (flounder and perch), sediments, and mussels.

Results: Toxic metals in flounder and perch from the Puck Bay occurred at varying concentrations: Cd - 0.

Total mercury and methylmercury in garfish (Belone belone) of different body weights, sizes, ages, and sexes.

Background: Garfish, (Belone belone) is a migratory pelagic fish that inhabits the waters of coastal Europe, North Africa, the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea. Little information about garfish has been disseminated mainly because of its low abundance and its brief occurrence in various water bodies. Data is lacking on mercury compounds, particularly dangerous the toxic organic form of methylmercury (MeHg), which endangers the health of fish and their consumers.

Levels, time trends, and distribution of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls in fishes from the Baltic Sea.

Fish absorb dioxins from the environment through water and contact with sediments but the main source is food. These contaminants also enter the human body with food, including through the consumption of fish. This study presents the dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in 145 samples of four fish species (herring, sprat, sea trout, salmon) caught in the southern Baltic Sea.

Plastic in digestive tracts and gills of cod and herring from the Baltic Sea.

Plastic litter is widespread on our planet and is recognized as a contaminant of high concern. Plastic ingestion and retention in gills were studied in two key Baltic fish species: herring (Clupea harengus L.) and cod (Gadus morhua L.

Arsenic speciation in fish from Baltic Sea close to chemical munitions dumpsites.

Chemical weapons that were dumped in seas and oceans after World War II, including the Baltic Sea, are sources of pollution of marine areas. Sunken containers can corrode, unseal, and numerous compounds pass into the environment, including toxic forms of arsenic, which are then taken up by marine animals. This study aims to quantify concentration of total arsenic, inorganic arsenic (III + V), and organic compounds arsenobetaine, monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid in the muscle tissues of cod, herring, sprat, and flounder and the associated risk to consumer health.

Distribution of organic and inorganic mercury in the tissues and organs of fish from the southern Baltic Sea.

The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of total mercury (THg), methylmercury (CHHg), and inorganic mercury (Hg) in the tissues and organs of fish depending on species, tissue, and organ, and their bioaccumulation in tissues and biomagnification throughout the trophic web. The study included four species of fish (herring, sprat, cod, and eel) from the southern Baltic Sea. The concentrations of the different forms of mercury were determined in tissues and internal organs.

Methylmercury in fish from the southern Baltic Sea and coastal lagoons as a function of species, size, and region.

Background: Methylmercury (MeHg) is a highly toxic compound that traverses the blood-brain barrier with deleterious effects to the central nervous system. Exposure is generally through the ingestion of contaminated fish. Fish are a main source of MeHg.

Methylmercury and Total Mercury in Eels, Anguilla anguilla, from Lakes in Northeastern Poland: Health Risk Assessment.

In the aquatic environment, mercury is readily methylated into its most toxic form of methylmercury. In this form, it enters the aquatic food chain and its concentrations increase in subsequent links, which decreases the quality of fish meat and poses risks to consumer health. Concentrations of methylmercury (MeHg) and total mercury (THg) were determined in the muscle tissues of 64 eel specimens measuring from 59 to 95 cm in length as functions of specimen size and weight.

Mercury toxicity and the protective role of selenium in eel, Anguilla anguilla.

The aim of the study was to determine the impact trace metals, mainly toxic ones, on the condition of eel (Anguilla anguilla) inhabiting four regions of Poland. Metal concentrations in eel muscle tissues were studied as functions of size, region, and season 2011-2012. The levels of metals were also used for risk assessment on consumer health.

Trace metals in flounder, Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758), and sediments from the Baltic Sea and the Portuguese Atlantic coast.

Trace metals were examined in the muscle tissue of flatfish species of flounder, Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758), sediments from two southern Baltic Sea sites (Gdańsk Bay and Ustecko-Łebskie as a reference) and in two areas of the Portuguese Atlantic coast (Douro River estuary and Atlantic fishing ground as a reference) to evaluate spatial differences in trace metals. Additionally, the accumulation of trace metals in flounder of different length classes was assessed. Flounder from the Gdańsk Bay area contained twofold more cupper (Cu), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) than did flounder from the Douro River estuary, but zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) were at similar concentrations.

Sediment contaminants and contaminant levels and biomarkers in caged mussels (Mytilus trossulus) in the southern Baltic Sea.

Sediment from four southern Baltic Sea locations and caged mussels were analyzed for PCBs, organochlorine pesticides and metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Hg). In mussels, which were additionally analyzed for 16 individual PAHs, a set of biomarker responses was measured to derive an integrated biomarker response (IBR) index as a part of integrative assessment of pollution in this area. Concentrations of PCBs, ΣDDT, and metals in sediment and mussels, greatest within the Gulf of Gdańsk area, showed decreasing gradients outwards from the Gulf.

Bioaccumulation of mercury in the trophic chain of flatfish from the Baltic Sea.

Mercury concentrations in three flatfish species - flounder (Platichtys flesus), plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), and Baltic turbot (Scophthalmus maximus), netted in the southern Baltic Sea were assessed and compared to concentrations of this metal in sediments, sea water, and flatfish food - bivalve Macoma balthica, isopod Saduria entomon, and sprat (Sprattus sprattus). Collected simultaneously with flatfish in 2009 and 2010. Different concentrations of mercury depending on species, tissue or organ, sex, individual length, kind of food, and region were determined.

Trace elements in the livers of cod (Gadus morhua L.) from the Baltic Sea: levels and temporal trends.

This paper presents and discusses the levels and temporal trends of concentrations of Cd, Pb, Hg, Cu, Zn, and As in livers and Hg in the muscle tissues of cod (Gadus morhua L) from the Baltic Sea during the period 1994-2010. Concentrations of Pb, Hg, and Cd exhibited significant downward trends. Cu and Zn concentrations exhibited upward trends in the period 1994 to 2010.

Marine and farmed fish on the Polish market: comparison of the nutritive value and human exposure to PCDD/Fs and other contaminants.

Chemical analyses were performed in nine fish species that are popular on the Polish market. These included Baltic fish (cod, herring, salmon), fish farmed in Poland (carp, trout), marine fish imported from China (Alaska pollock, sole), and farmed fish imported from Vietnam and China (sutchi catfish, tilapia). The nutritional composition (amino acid, micro- and macronutrients, fat-soluble vitamins - A(1), D(3), E) and certain contaminants (organochlorine pesticides, OCPs; indicator polychlorinated biphenyl, PCB(6); polychlorinated dibenzo-paradioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans, PCDD/Fs; dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls, dl-PCBs; organotin compounds, OCTs; dyes, malachite green and crystal violet; veterinary drug residues, nitrofurans and chloramphenicol; toxic metals, Cd, Pb, Hg) in the muscle tissues of fish were determined.

Impact of strontium on skeletal deformities in Baltic cod (Gadus morhua callaris L.).

A study was conducted to examine spinal deformities such as lordosis, scoliosis, and dwarfism in cod (Gadus morhua callaris L.) that were caught in the southern Baltic. The bone tissue of the spine and the muscle of the deformed cod were analyzed for concentration of macroelements (Sr, Ca and P) and toxic metals (Cd, Pb and Hg).

Bioaccumulation and temporal trends of trace elements in flounder from the southern Baltic Sea for the 1996-2003 period.

This study determined the concentrations of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As) in flounder from the southern Baltic for the 1996-2003 period. Analysis of more than 200 samples was used to determine the following: (1) concentrations of Hg and As in muscle tissue of flounder from different regions of the southern Baltic; (2) concentrations of Hg in the muscle tissue of flounder of different sizes; and (3) temporal trends in the concentrations of trace metals during the 1996-2003 period. A positive correlation between fish length and Hg concentration was noted.

Calcium availability from yogurt by itself or yogurt-cereal-containing products.

Dairy products are the basic source of calcium (Ca) for many nations. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of addition of cereal products to yogurt on the ability of subsequent release of Ca present in yogurt. This was conducted in vitro by the process of enzymatic digestion simulating digestion in the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT).

Temporal trends in the bioaccumulation of trace metals in herring, sprat, and cod from the southern Baltic Sea in the 1994-2003 period.

This study is based on raw data obtained from 1 225 samples of herring (Clupea harengus), sprat (Sprattus sprattus), and cod (Gadus morhua) collected in the 1994-2003 period from the Polish coastal zone of the Baltic Sea. This paper presents the results of investigations of the contents of Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Hg, and As in fish. The aim was to identify temporal trends in trace metal contamination and variations in the concentrations of Hg in the flesh of herring, sprat, and cod of different lengths.

Fish products available in Polish market--assessment of the nutritive value and human exposure to dioxins and other contaminants.

Chemical analyses were performed on one hundred and twenty of the most popular varieties of fish products (smoked fish, salted fish, and marinated fish) of the fish market in Poland. The contents of the nutritive substances of fish products (protein, micro- and macronutrients, vitamins A(1), D(3), E, and fatty acids) and the chosen contaminant (toxic metals--mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic; dioxin/furans--PCDDFs; dioxin-like PCB--dl-PCBs; seven congeners of polybrominated diphenyl ethers--PBDEs; organochlorine pesticides--SigmaDDT, HCB, SigmaHCH and marker polychlorinated biphenyls--PCB(7)) levels were determined. It was confirmed that fish products are a good source of digestible proteins, iodine, selenium, and vitamin D(3).

Study on the raw fish oil purification from PCDD/F and dl-PCB-industrial tests.

The results of tests for the purification of fish oils with activated carbon for industrial use are presented. The optimum parameters for the process of purification (granulation of the activated carbon, its dosage, the oil temperature, and the duration of mixing the oil with activated carbon) were previously established for the laboratory scale. The optimization of the process consisted of selecting purification parameters that would allow for maximum reduction of the toxic polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) content, while retaining the favorable high fatty acid content [C20:5 n-3, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and C22:6 n-3, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)].

[Mineral elements content in smoked fish].

The content of macroelements (phosphorus, calcium, magnesium potassium and sodium) and microelements (copper, zinc, iron, manganese, chromium, selenium, fluorine and iodine) in the following smoked fish: sprat, mackerel, salmon, smoked herring and trout were determined. The most of calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper and manganese contain smoked sprat. The amount of calcium in fish's remaining species is considerably lower, and phosphorus approximated to his content in sprat.

[Macro- and microelements in canned sprats].

The content of macro- and microelements and toxic metals in the most popular canned sprat was described in this paper. The research included the following canned sprat: sprat in tomato, smoked and steamed sprat in oil. The following analyses were carried out: content of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, copper, zinc, iron, manganese, chromium, selenium, fluorine, iodine, cadmium, lead, mercury and arsenic.