Fróðskaparrit - 01.07.2004, Page 122

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MERCURY IN THE FAROE ISLANDS — A REVIEW OF AVAILABLE DATA
Sandagerdi Sep'02
1 ♦
I E ♦ ■ A
♦
d) 0 - - ♦ —I ■ w
i i
200 300 400 500 600 700 Whale length, cm
Fig. 16 Mercury in pilot whale
muscle in one particular grind taken
in Sandagerði in 2002 (Heilsu-
frøðiliga Starsvsstovan)
females (Weihe et al., 2003) because, as is
indicated in the tables below, there are not
many indications that there have been re-
ductions in the mercury levels in the
whales.
In 1986-1988 an extensive sampling of
data on and tissue from long-finned pilot
whales took place in the Faroe Islands, in
connection with the traditional whale hunt
(Bloch et al., 1993). Major results from the
study were published in a special issue of
the Report of the International Whaling
Commission (Donovan et al., 1993). Part of
the study was to elucidate the pollutant load
in pilot whales, both the persistent organic
pollutants and the heavy metals like mer-
cury.
Whale muscle has been the main tissue
for analyses of mercury performed by the
Food and Environmental Agency since the
mid 1990s as muscle was the presumed ma-
jor mercury vector in the whale to people
transfer, since advice against eating whale
livers has been in effect since 1977.
In the earlier studies however, more ef-
forts were put on analysing the mercury
concentration in tissues of blubber (Juels-
hamn, et al., 1987; Simmonds et al., 1994),
kidney and liver in addition to muscle (HS
Annual Report 1976/78; HS Journal 1979-
89; Juelshamn et al., 1987; Caurant et al.,
1993; Caurant et al., 1994) as well as in
milk and mammary gland (Caurant et al.,
1993). In the studies of Juelshamn et al.,
1987 and Caurant et al., (1993; 1994), also
other metals like As, Cd, Cu, Zn and sele-
nium were analysed. In addition, total as
well as methylated mercury is given for
1977 and 1978 pilot whale samples of mus-
cle, liver, blubber and kidney in the study of
Juelshamn et al., 1987. Likewise, organo-
mercury as well as total mercury were
analysed in liver samples from 1987 by
Schintu et al. (1992). The mercury and me-
thyl-mercury along with selenium concen-
trations were analysed in pilot whale mus-
cle, kidney and liver in a study by Caurant
et al., 1996, with special emphasis on lac-
tating females. In Hvalvfk 1998, samples of
pilot whale hearts were taken from 10 indi-
viduals, in fact 15 individuals were investi-
gated for sampling but in 5 of these the
heart had already been taken. The heart
mean mercury concentration was 2,04
mg/kg (± 0,53) with the lower values in the
young rnales at 1,23 ±0,0 mg/kg (n=2) and
higher in adult females at 2,2±0,4 mg/kg
(n=6) and in adult males 2,4±0,2 mg/kg