Study of Mercury Pollution in Water, Sediments, and Fish from Hamoon International Wetland

Contaminant levels in fish are of particular importance because of the potential health risks they pose to human consumers. The presnet study was designed and implemented to determine mercury concentrations in water, sediments, and fish from Hamoon wetland against international standards. For this purpose, the LECO, AMA 254, ASTM Standard D-6722 was used to determine mean Hg concentrations in the muscles of Ctenopharyngodon idella, Cyprinus carpio, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, Schizocypris altidorsalis, and Schizothorax zardunyi as 0.14, 0.28, 0.15, 0.15, 0.34, and 0.36 mg/kg, respectively, and 0.21, 0.32, 0.22, 0.23, 0.36 and 0.41 mg/kg in their kidneys. Water mercury concentrations at three stations were determined to be 0.06, 0.07, and 0.08 mg/kg while they were 0.39, 0.44, and 0.48 mg/kg in the sediments. Laboratory analysis results showed significant differences in mercury concentrations between fish kidney and muscle (p