| Title | Semiquantitative determination of total mercury in Pygocentrus nattereri Kner, 1858 and sediment at the plateau of Upper Paraguai River, Brazil. |
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| Authors | C.Maria de A. Ferreira; S.Gonçalves Egler; A.Viviane Yallouz; Á.Regina Alv Ignácio |
| Journal | Chemosphere |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.01.059 |
| Abstract |
In this study an environmental assessment of contamination by total mercury (THg) was carried out at the Plateau of the Upper Paraguai River. Total mercury was evaluated in sediment and muscle of the red piranha Pygocentrus nattereri Kner, 1858, a piscivorous species at the top of the food chain consumed for subsistence and commercially. THg concentrations were below national guidelines established by WHO for sediments (100 ng g(-1)) and fish (100-600 ng g(-1)) for most of the sampled sites. Two sites located downstream of artisanal diamond and gold mines had THg concentrations in fish equal or greater than 600 ng g(-1). |
See more Mercury products. Mercury (atomic symbol: Hg, atomic number: 80) is a Block D, Group 12, Period 6 element with an atomic weight of 200.59. The number of electrons in each of mercury's shells is 2, 8, 18,32, 18, 2 and its electron configuration is [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2. The mercury atom has a radius of 151 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 209 pm. It is named after the planet Mercury and often referred to as "quicksilver" due to its appearance as a silvery liquid. Mercury has low melting and boiling points. It is a poor conductor of heat, but a fair conductor of electricity. Mercury is found both as a free element and in cinnabar, corderoite, and livingstonite ores.