Mercury exposure in ringed seals (Pusa hispida saimensis) in Lake Saimaa, Finland, and the placenta as a possible non-invasive biomonitoring tool.

ABSTRACT: The Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis) is a subspecies of ringed seal, landlocked in Lake Saimaa, Finland. The small population of less than 500 seals is facing many human-induced threats, including chemical contaminants. Mercury, in particular, has previously been suggested to be one of the chemicals affecting the viability of this endangered population. We analysed mercury concentrations from placentas and lanugo pup tissues (blubber, brain, kidney, liver, and muscle) to determine current prenatal exposure levels. These pups were found dead in or near birth lairs and were less than 3 months old. Additionally, we used threshold values available in the literature to estimate the potential mercury toxicity to the Saimaa ringed seal. We also determined selenium concentrations for it

SUBMITTER: Simola J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11467087 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature